Until you get a pretty good feel for what's happening in your colonies, ordering a few queens every fall is a pretty good policy. The commercial queen rearing outfits are selecting from a much larger genetic pool for t-mite, v-mite resistance, etc. Once you get a handle on things, and decide what is important to you. ie: low swarming, high production, mite resistance, etc etc etc, you can start selecting for these traits. If you were to get a hot hive or two, it is much more than a pain in the butt. They are a hazard to your neighbors and their animals as well. Being overwhelmed by aggresive bees, and chased 200 yards is not fun. A little experience would be helpful dealing with them.