a Cam Bishop snip followed by > my comment... 
I disagree. I have used packages from CA and GA with good success and I have imported hundreds of queens from the South, Mississippi, Louisiana, California, Georgia and Florida with good success. I believe it is the beekeeper's failure to observe and care for that causes most of the failures. I have had total losses of yards that were 2nd or 3rd year hives. I attribute most of that to PPBK. Just my observations.

>I would say I at least partially agree.  My reservation is anyone that buys nuclei or packages needs to be very careful as who they buy these from and from my own observation and conversation (new beekeepers and commercial beekeepers) many bees purchased in the southern US have already done a long hard round in the California almonds and are subject to a significant failure rate (sometimes approaching 100%).  I see some pretty sorry nucs created here by 2 and 3 year beekeepers who are primarily hoping their customer base has no experience to discriminate a good from a poor quality nuc.  Often time (and as Michael P. seem to allude to) these are sold thru some bee club contact by some authority in the bee clubs itself.  Oh well... it is good to be able to distinguish a good sustainable business model even if all you rely on is lack of experience in quality control.

>I have never liked the term PPBK which I suspect is more about the failure in training and acquiring basic skill level. Basically a failure in proper education but then some of this community seems to think less and less that education as a positive social asset.. Many 'new beekeepers' come to meeting (and some actually teach) that know much more than anyone with decades of experience keeping bees.  When they and their students kill bees thru neglect, who's fault is it really?

>I do suspect that much of this problem is associated with understanding and learning about what is an appropriated management plan for a given location.  In this regards success or failure is much more about a deep understanding of the location than about genetics..  At least here in the US we raise mutts.. which suggest a bee may appear black or yellow (or some combination) but it linage is likely to be everything. 

>We also tend to forget about the power provided in terms of  genetic diversity provided by queens multiple mating behavior... and in saying this the ultimate impact of the lowly drone is much more important than most beekeepers seem to appreciate.

Gene in Central Texas.. 

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