[log in to unmask] wrote: > I have the European contingent of a U.N. of bees here and they're all > different, useful, and nice. For instance, my Cordovans make no surplus > honey but make loads of bees, but they are so good at nursing brood, and so > sweet to handle for these manipulations, that I will keep a colony of > Cordovans just to raise queens from brood of other stock, and for a ready > supply of bees and brood.... "Cordovan" is a genetic trait associated across breeds, it is not a breed in and of itself. There are Cordovan Italians and Cordovan Carniolans and cordovan... The cordovan trait is a genetic lack of color pigment, somwhat akin to albino mice (white with pink eyes) or albino humans. It is a recessive trait, so it is hard to keep in open mated queens. As such, it can be a good indicator to determine if your cordovan queen has been superseded. The hive bees can change from a light golden color to a much darker color when the progeny of the new queen emerges. I keep a few cordovan hives in my bee yards as they make good show-n-tell stories for visitors. The foragers are also easily identified away from the hive. On can quickly tell that the bee on that dandelion came from my hive! Aaron Morris - I think, therefore I bee!