> I mark the best honey producers for observation and use as potential
breeders but have
> noticed very few survive the summer.
We marked the three best in every yard in years before varroa and would
say that the best producers also wintered best.
They generally survived sufficiently well that we were able to do
several other selections (size, chalk, temperament, etc.) and still have
80+ hives in the breeding yard to start.
I have not done that recently, but really do not see that happening
where I am or in the hives of Alberta commercial beekeepers in the past
several years, but then, varroa is very low and the use of anything
besides fumagillan, formic and amitraz is unusual.
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