>  I mark the best honey producers for observation and use as potential 
breeders but have
 > noticed very few survive the summer.

We marked the three best in every yard in years before varroa and would 
say that the best producers also wintered best.

They generally survived sufficiently well that we were able to do 
several other selections (size, chalk, temperament, etc.) and still have 
80+ hives in the breeding yard to start.

I have not done that recently, but really do not see that happening 
where I am or in the hives of Alberta commercial beekeepers in the past 
several years, but then, varroa is very low and the use of anything 
besides fumagillan, formic and amitraz is unusual.

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