BjornBee is exactly right. Cordovan is a color phase only. Otherwise, Cordovans are just Italian bees. No different. I have about 50 Cordovan queens, they're definitely easier to spot, but temperament and honey gathering ability is exactly like the rest of our Italian bees. Some days they're gentle, other days they're not! Succeeding generations will lose the color unless they mate with Cordovan drones, highly unlikely in open mating.