In article <[log in to unmask]>, "MR WILLIAM L HUGHES JR." <[log in to unmask]> writes >Yesterday it stopped raining long enough for me to start treating >some of my colonies. I noticed that two of the colonies have all >black bees. Just last month they were Italian. Could a feral colony >taken them over or have they superceded the old queen and the new one >mated with "wild" bees. The brood pattern is excellent and these two >colonies are full of bees. > >Bill Hughes >Bent Holly Honey Farms >Brighton, Tennessee, U.S.A. If the queen has mated with several different *types* of drone, you may find the colour of workers change throughout the season. Is colour important to you ? -- Paul Walton Email : [log in to unmask] Toddington, Bedfordshire, England.