If I have learnt one important thing, it is that we simply understand zip, and until we do, we shouldn't interfere. And I know I am guilty, I doubt if our 3colonies would have chosen to sit side by side if allowed to or subject themselves to dangerous chemicals. But putting my bee suit on when I do open the hives is not that big a fag.
Killing drone though I just think is wrong, the bees produce drones of course for reproduction but they are likely to have other benefits too, not least the general wellbeing of the colony. It seems to me that observing that the bees chuck out the drones prior to winter has been taken to mean they are surplus to requirements. But that is for pure survival mechanisms, interesting that with warmer winters in recent years the drones are often kept.
I doubt the people who breed King Charles Spaniels want them to have brain problems, it is just a revolting side effect or trying to shape nature. Maybe the feisty bees are the intelligent ones, recognising their main foe. Conversely, the so called good natured ones are a bit thick and are so demoralised they've given up the fight. We Just Don't Know.
Our first lot of bees came from a very crowded apiary, they arrived with a high count of varroa, and the chinese slipper disease, then the prescribed apiguard treatmet by our bee inspector nearly did for them. We removed the tray, nature intervened and gave us a new mated queen in the early autumn (which we discovered only when we opened late March last year). Then we began to leave them alone. And now they are healthy but bad tempered if messed with.
The truth about the honeybee problems may well be an inconvenient one, lots of hives together may make honey collecting easier and I for one won't stop but I will not have a great density, will try and provide them with varied forage so they have their own medicine chest (yes studies are hinting at this) and otherwise leave them alone as far as my meddling human nature makes possible. I love opening the hives and seeing what is going on inside - I'm human, I'm nosy! But really I can discover most of what I need to know by observing front of hive activity.