Italian queen with workers
I get the question all the time of what race of bees is the best. While I have my personal favorite, I have found trying the different varieties gives a beekeeper a better understanding of his or her craft.
Every breed has different qualities that a beekeeper likes or dislikes. Some bee breeds are more hostile than others and I stay away from those. Other than that experimenting is fun and educational. But it is to easy to say a race is good or bad by trying it only once. It takes 4 or 5 years of a race to get a true feel of how they perform.
http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/entomology/apiculture/PDF%20files/1.12.pdf
