>>Most likely; it's very variable. I have heard they  were German heath bees ... i imagine there was a fair  mixture there early 
on, even if they were all more or less Amm.  Amm are good in  UK conditions, meaning poor weather, but may not be so good for a  continental-type summer.  

There is a native dark bee in and around the Bialowieza primevial forest in Poland.  The local beekeepers and some scientists are working to preserve it.  I am not sure about its productivity but it overwinters well and runs readily on the comb.

My uncle who keeps bees diagonally across (very far from Bialowieza!) the country in Poland has bees that are dark in color and run on the comb a lot more that my bees in New York.  He practices short-distance migratory beekeeping - moving to canola/rape, black locust, linden, buckwheat - and does well averaging 5 tonnes of honey a year from his 75 colonies.

Now, my uncle says *Italian* bees have been considered the best for Poland since Dzierzon brought the first queens from Italy.  As far as he knows he has *Italian* bees.  He and the local beekeepers all raise their own queens only acquiring a couple of queens a year from other beekeepers for drone source colonies.

Has anyone heard of rather dark, runny Italian bees with almost black queens?  It occured to me that perhaps he had Amm, or Carniolans.

Waldemar
Long Island, NY  

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