> It seems more evident to me than ever before that one can select for just
> about any trait one desires in their bees.  The problem is that once one
> pays PARTICULAR attention to a specific trait, be it color, or resistance to
> AFB or chalk or varroa, or honey production, or over wintering, (the list
> goes on and on), once one starts to FOCUS on a PARTICULAR trait, by
> necessity the other traits become blurry.

I do believe this has a much larger impact on the 'big picture' than most
think. I hear the same desired traits mentioned over and over as if we all
want the same traits but we ignore our own climate and local conditions.
Show me a breeder that doesn't tout the color of their bees. Show me one
that doesn't make mention how big their queens are. Same for high honey
yields or a great over-wintering trait. Do we all experience the same winter
climates? Who says a golden yellow bee is better in some way than a dark
bee? High honey yields, what if I live in an area that just doesn't have the
nectar source to produce a lot of honey? Would this trait be an asset or a
hindrance? If the above that Aaron wrote is true, then most beekeepers
continue to keep bees that are more than likely not well suited or equipped
to live and flourish in the beekeepers hives. We buy queens from all over
the world and expect them to thrive for us. I guess the belief is a bee is a
bee is a bee. I think a bee in my neighborhood is not like the bee in your
neighborhood if allowed to be.

Regards,
Barry   ...... thinking not all breeding is a like.