Hello Dave & All,
> The bees strategey in using the oldest possible larva is simply to reduce
> the time that they are without an egg layer. They "know" that they can
> supercede her with a "better quality version" later and will do so when
> conditions are stable again.

I believe Clarence Collison (Bee Culture "Do You Know")) placed the bees
being able to replace the queen in a emergency at around 10 days using the
oldest possible larvae.

> One of the biggest errors made by beginning breeders is to breed from the
> colonies that gathered the "best" honey crop.

If you are a honey producer then you rate "honey production" very high in
traits. If you are a pollinator then " pollination " might be the first
choice.  The bees chosen for the SMR were picked mainly because of their SMR
abilities.
All involved believed the rules needed to be broken to speed up the process.
Selection could be done at a later date to improve the line. Selection for
the traits Dave is talking about can be done by most beekeepers if they are
so inclined at a later date.  Locating and getting the SMR start ( analyze
the larvae) is (in my opinion) best left to the experts.
Sincerely,
Bob Harrison
Odessa, Missouri