Authentic carniolan Bee Queens (apis m. carnica) from Slovenia

[prakel]

that's bad news for the Portland beekeepers
I see your difficulty is that where there are fewer beekeepers the whole situation can be destabilised very easily

Yes, that's exactly how I see it, thoughtless introduction can create total havoc in a small population and I've had the excessive stings to bear that out! Certainly my inland apiaries where there are obviously far more beekeepers/colonies remain quite stable from generation to generation but things do change -as demonstrated by half a dozen Carnica type swarms occupying bait hives this last Spring instead of the more common orange-band mongrels of the previous decade during which I've been in this area.

Everyone finds their situations different and that's the reason why general advice might be OK most of the time but not all of the time.

Again, wise words. It's so easy to follow the masses without actually ever questioning why we're doing something the way we are.