Hello,
I live in Littlerock CA 93543. I am in the high desert @ 3,000', USDA zone 8. I am on my third time starting keeping bees. The first attempt was two nucs of Italian mutts from a somewhat local beekeeper. My second start was Russian/Carniolian from a reputable breeder in Northern CA. The bees seemed to build well, two deep brood boxes and a medium super each but dwindled in size and starved out before spring. This year I bought the Russian/Carniolians again and am planning on treating them for Nosema per the breeders recommendation. I provided no treatment to the prior hives. At this point I plan on making two or three splits this summer to increase the odds of overwintering and naturalizing in hope of going without treatment. I was wondering if someone could recommend one or two races of bees for my area. Thank you for your time.