>  One of the most fascinating aspects of the book regarding the British bee
> was the examination of bee longevity vs. merely prolific tendencies.  In
> other words, instead of having huge populous colonies, there was a tendency
> in some British stock to have longer-living individuals.  So with smaller,
> more manageable colonies, the net result in work/nectar gathering would be
> similar.
 
I have wondered about this.
 
In favour of the more long lived bees would be better wintering and less
food consumption, however there are drawbacks if there is an accompanying
reduction in brood rearing rates.
 
Unless such bees were very resistant to diseases and pests, and more
robust and less susceptible to damage in the field from mechanical
hazards, wearing out body parts, and things like pesticides and predators,
they would not prosper or produce  as well as less long-lived and more
fecund bees  in heavy and drawn out flows, since the attrition would mount
and reduce the force over time.
 
Granted, in areas with late, short and light flows, this is not the
problem it would be here in Western Canada.
 
To me, the ideal is a bee that has a long individual lifespan, yet can be
induced to raise large numbers of young bees at appropriate times.  For
this reason the Italian was traditionally the favourite of US package
producers, and the Carniolan has become very popular in Western Canada
since wintering has become very necessary.
 
The Carniolan has the reputation of being conservative in the fall and
winter, yet building up rapidly  from small winter populations in the
spring.  They also have a reportedly a longer lifespan than many bees.
 
The Italian has a rep for going full out all the time.  This
characteristic makes it a bit tougher to winter here since they have a
tendancy to raise brood in the coldest months, which makes them
vulnerable to cold,  and to eat up a lot of stores which can leave them
starved and suffering from pollen depletion.  If they do come through --
and they will do so in doubles if well fed in the fall -- they will have
the huge populations that make splitting a pleasure, compared to some
other bees.
 
We are tending to Italians, however do have a large number of Carniolan
type too.
 
Allen