>  Beekeepers in these days are often quoted as saying, "My survivor bees are
>darker",  or "My bees are getting darker than they once were".

I've often said this. I witnessed the "darkening" of my bees, as the yellow 
strains died out in the winter from Acarapis. But, this was in no way 
selection by me, the beekeeper. I merely introduced darker strains into my 
mix, and let the chips fall where they would. The dark bees survived.

>
>Because beekeepers are now seeing survivor Italians tending to be darker.
>Does this suggest that the feral Italians are leading the recovery in this
>race?


How do you know these "survivor" bees are Italian?  I breed from survivors, 
without concern for color. After years of seeing the "darkening" of my 
stock, I believe I'm seeing yellow bees making a comeback. I'll be watching 
to see where this all leads.
Mike 


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