[AnAmericanMother]

I would get the Midnite hybrids before I got the Carniolans. I never used them, but some of my friends have had trouble with them. I'm not sure what your climate is like, but apparently they don't do well in hot and humid Georgia!

A long time ago, when we were first married and living in an apartment, I kept my bees at my parents' house, and somebody offered my parents two hives of old-fashioned Black Bees. Boy were those rascals MEAN! They chased my dad all over the yard! We requeened with two proved and registered Italians, though, and THAT settled their hash (expensive but worth it.)

[CobaltBlue]

An old time beekeeper told me a story that happened when he was a kid. His grandfather kept the old time black bees. They were moving some hives in a mule drawn wagon on a dirt road, to an apple orchard, and one of the beehives fell over and the bees came out, and started stinging everything, and stung the mules, who started running, and all the hives fell over and all the bees came out and started stinging!

The boy ran home and the bees followed him home, and stung the window screens and the door, and stayed there for hours!

That was some mean bees!

My Italians will only follow me for maybe 15 - 20 feet when they get mad.