Dave wrote:
> >  They work earlier and later. This is not only true of the day but of
the season.
> untrue and by a very large margin, so much so that we can use it for
discrimination in matings, leaving our AMM queen raising later so that no
Italians are flying.

Hi Dave
Please bear in mind that I am quoting sources from 120+ years ago, so they
were comparing the strains of Italians available to them with strains of
Black bees that had been in the New World for some time. Not exactly the
same thing as Italian bees now vs. Black bees now. 

My chief point is that *I doubt that* the Americans would have mounted a
huge effort to replace the entire population of honey bees in the New World
were it not for their perception that the Italian was a *much better bee*.
That's all. I wasn't there, so I don't know.

Pete

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