> Colonies placed in Southern Europe tend to have lower adult bee populations compared to colonies placed in colder conditions, while the brood population tends to be smaller in the North, thus reflecting the shorter longevity of bees in warmer climates and the shorter brood rearing period in the North.

> The most striking effect of the different environmental conditions on colony development was the lower number of adult bees in southern Europe (longer active season) compared to northern Europe (shorter active season). It has indeed been shown that reductions in colony population are associated with shorter worker life spans, younger worker foraging ages, and increased rates of comb building, brood rearing, and population growth.

> [This] could be due to a more precocious onset of foraging, which can be the result of pathological conditions - it is well known that bees infected by Nosema spp. start foraging earlier (Wang and Moller, 1970a, b; Tofilski, 2009) or simply to a higher number of bee-active days and general better foraging conditions – the active flight season and the honey yield were indeed highest in the most southern cluster.

Hatjina, et al (2014). Population dynamics of European honey bee genotypes under different environmental conditions. Journal of Apicultural Research, 53(2), 233-247.

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