UNLESS they are hygienic.
Non-hygienic queens are now passé.
Nobody should have to put up with queens that lack this essential characteristic
and the consequent economic losses that result from AFB and chalkbrood.
The hygienic characteristic can be easily selected in any strain of bees and can
become very strong in only a few generations. NO important characteristics are
lost in the selection, but the resulting bees can drastically reduce losses and
management problems caused by bee diseases.
Demand hygienic queens from your supplier and make sure your suppliers are
serious about breeding for this trait. Ask questions. Listen to the answers.
Don't take no for an answer. Buy where you *can* get straight answers and
hygienic queens.
I have put an article with illustrations at
http://www.internode.net/HoneyBee/Misc/hygienic.htm to show how easy and obvious
the test is. You can test the queens you buy.
If everyone demands this trait, it will not be long until it becomes predominant
in all bees, both domestic and feral, and the current worries about diseases
should diminish substantially.
allen
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Cross country skiing is great if you live in a small country. -- Steven Wright