Which Bee is Best?

BEE CULTURE magazine June 2009 issue: "The most effective method to combat Varroa mites is to use honey bees that are resistant to Varroa mites. They exist. You can buy them. You can make them. They are Russians. They are the survivors. They are hygienic. They are better than the rest. If these bees aren't in your colonies, on your list to buy, on the way to your colonies today...then you are on the list of those who are on the way out. That we continue to pour poison into our boxes when we could be pulling pure and perfect honey out of them instead is amazing. It boggles the mind that this industry hasn't adopted these bees yet." Kim Flottum, editor

Several (if not all) Russian Honeybee Breeders Association members are treatment free. Carl Webb, Georgia, and Hubert Tubbs, Mississippi, are two that I'm aware of. They are both primarily honey producers with the queen business and nuc sales secondary parts of their operation. I've been treatment free for two years with good results.

Read the quote carefully. There should be no doubt as to the strength of Mr. Flottum's conviction as to where the industry should be headed.

I know I'm just a newbie but I just finished the course with Marla and Gary and I can tell what we were told about the MN Hygienic bees.

Someone in class asked which bee was best for MN, they heard Italians. Marla told us "a bee is a bee" and not to worry about which type we had for our first hive. She suggested the MN Hygienic (although she said they are hard to get this late, must be ordered in Dec. Jan) because she said they were bred to protect themselves from AFB. She said Hygienic bees can smell the disease and remove the infected pupae. She never mentioned anything to us about the MNH bees over wintering well.

Here is a link to a site that says basically what she told us:
http://www.honeybeeworld.com/misc/hygienic.htm

Hygienic behaviour is assuming increased importance as its potential to reduce economic losses and to reduce the use of chemicals in bee management is increasing appreciated.

Marla was all about not treating bees and letting them grow strong on their own. She said much of what they taught in the past has changed with new information coming out. There is no more preventative treatments, avoid antibiotics, etc... She covered the testing they do to see if a bee has hygienic behavior and then explained how it relates to AFB and the benefits of that.

That is why I was curious about experiences with bees on this forum. I read that carniolans (?) are the most docile but swarm often, Italians are great bees for beginners because they don't swarm but they don't winter well and all I know about MN Hygienic bees is what Marla told us. She didn't mention anything other than their ability to defend themselves against AFB and possibly control mites (but she said more testing is needed on the mite issue). She didn't mention anything about temperment or over wintering.

The good thing is she and Gary were very thorough about protocol for keeping bees as a beginner in Minnesota I've just heard so much about the "type" of be from classmates, I thought I'd better ask here because it nice to get know what others experience so I can make an informed decision about the bees I choose.

Thank you for the responses, it has helped me decide.