Enviroment vs. Genetics

[Understudy]

I had a very interesting discussion with a beekeeper in Maryland today. And since I love discusing diverse bee topics one of the old topics dealing with any animal came up. The discussion basically amounted to bees being suitable to their enviroment. Bees that do well in winter may be getting harder to come for northern beekeepepers because of an influx of bees raised in warmer and more tropical climates. Such as Florida, Georgia, Texas. He was pointing out he could trace bees that didn't winter well right to a queen that came from a warmer climate. While some may adapt most do not adapt well and form poor winter clusters. Thus not surviving the winter. Now that didn't mean that every hive he encountered that did poorly for a beekeeper over winter was due to a tropical queen. Some was poor beekeeping and other reasons. However if all was handled correctly going into winter and the hive didn't make through winter he would ask the beekeeper where they got the queen from. The queen would be a tropical climate queen.

Now I understand that the reason AHB were brought into S. America 50 years ago was to deal with a bee that could handle the tropical conditions better. I don't want this to be an AHB disccusion. So my question is should a northern beekeeper buy a queen that has been living and raised in a tropical enviroment or should he buy a queen from a cooler climate beekeeper?  Is there any sound reasing to assume a tropical climate queen would not survive in the cooler climates? What about a cooler climate queen survivng in more tropical conditions? Here is a queen ready to stop brood production and it never really gets cold enough to warrant it. What about life expectancy differences for a tropical climate queen to a cooler climate queen?


Sincerely,
Brendhan

[Kathyp]

genetics are really important, but so is survival.  it makes sense to get bees/queens that are acclimated.  it's not only temp, but each area has it's own bacteria, viruses, plant life, etc. 

if you can get good bees from close to home, that seems like a no brainer.

[jimmyo]

I think local bees are better.   I'm setting out extra swarm traps this year.  If a colony is healthy enough to swarm there may be a good reason for it.  We might even keep the queens that come with the swarm just to see how they do.
Jim 

[Kirk-o]

I have had very good results with local Feral Bees and real bad luck with bees from northern california.Dee Lusby and Michael Bush talk about bees from your local Better suited
kirko

[Michael Bush]

>should a northern beekeeper buy a queen that has been living and raised in a tropical enviroment or should he buy a queen from a cooler climate beekeeper?

IMO, local bees are better.  They have been naturally selected for your environment.  :)

[Brian D. Bray]

It takes about 2 generations of queens before a hive is aclimatized.  That is, if they survive that long.  Bees from warmer climes do not fair very well in cold climates.  If possible it is best to get queen stocks from an area with a climate as much like your own as you can.  In my area bees from NORTHERN California do okay, bees from further SOUTH don't.  Bees from the Southeast (Alabama, Georgia, Lousianna, tc.) usually bite the dust early in winter as they don't build much in the way of stores needed for northern winters.