P-O Gustafsson wrote
 
>When there a long time has been a yearly import of bees from warmer climates
>due to the habit of killing bees in autumn and start up with packages in
spring,
>there is a risk of ending up with unsuitable genetic characteristics in the
bees
>in US and Canada.
>
>Some beekeepers here persists to use strains of ligustica bees that end up
>in a mess each spring with wet and mouldy frames and lots of dead bees.
>The bees recover and produce a good crop, and the beekeeper is happy.
>Others can't stand the mess and choose bees that winter well. Wintering is
>also taken under consideration when the selection for breeders is done.
 
I agree with your observations. We have not imported package bees into
Ontario for a number of years. There has been some queens brought in, but
the information I have is that they are not very successful. Local bees are
better, as they are bred for that particular climate.
        I don't believe that ligustica are solely responsible for your wet
and mouldy frames etc.We have some ligustica (Italian) in our bees and they
winter well. I would suggest that wetness is caused by lack of top
ventilation, and mould is a byproduct of damp.
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