I have come across a few references online now that state that a sizable number of hives in New Zealand are still occupied by the European dark bee, Apis mellifera mellifera, and that Carniolans and Italians are a more recent introduction. Is that the case? I would be curious to hear what some of the New Zealanders on this forum think about this. What races of bees (as much as you can tell) do you keep?