Quote Originally Posted by gavin View Post
Italians rather than Buckfasty then?
I don't wish to upset anyone, but I do not know what a buckfast bee is, or how I might recognise them if encountered. There is no doubt a strain or type of bee was developed in the Buckfastleigh area by Bro. Adam who was an able bee breeder. He has now been dead many years and the particular strain must inevitably be diluted by now. However good luck to those who choose to keep this bee.
Italian bees when crossed with natives produce very aggressive bees here, but when Buckfasts cross with the natives the resulting bees are much more aggressive still - handling them is like dodging machine gun fire. Experiences in other countries may be different, but I doubt it. If I were you, I'd use drone traps, decoy colonies and anything else to keep your blacks pure.