Even if they do exist, the question remains how they are propagated and authenticated. Then, there is the question of how their properties are measured and improved.
Let us move this thread back to the original intention, please. I am appalled by the venom and rubbish posted on here.
AMM exist as a recognized subspecies of AM.
So do AMC AML and many other sub-species.
Buckfasts are a mongrel bee. They are not hybrids in the true sense. A hybrid is the result of mating two species, i.e a horse and a donkey to produce a mule or a hinney. Buckfasts are the result of selective mating of several sub-species.
B+ outlined the main traits that many, not all, beekeepers want from their bees.
For various reasons some strains of AMM would not meet these requirements.
In the mainland UK other subspecies of AM have been imported for many years a trade that increased with the railways. There are reports of live displays at the Great Exhibition in which various hive designs were exhibited with bees from Italy and elsewhere. ( before you jump in!! NO!! I am not old enough to remember the Great Exhibition!!!)
So then we move on to AMM compared with other sub-species. Despite claims there appears to be a lack of consistency in meeting the criteria regularly. It has been suggested that the members of BIBBA have not managed to ensure AMM have been selectively breed to exhibit the required traits. These desires are often quoted in being present in areas of AMM particularly in the bees of the Galtee group but there is very little export of these queens with the desired traits.
B+ uses AMC as they provide the traits, in particular calmness, which he and many others appreciate above all. Continental beekeepers, Ministries and Universities have got their acts together to improve their choices of sub-species. I watched a useful u-tube video some time ago of the use of the mating islands in the Baltic by Danish beeks. I would relish the opportunity to pay my fee and send my queens to a designated island to mate with drones to improve the strain. Unfortunately the BBKA are pursuing a policy of local mongrels being best suited to local conditions. This is fine as far as it goes but does little to overcome the issues, in particular very aggressive bees that many complain about. We have had so many imports, particularly in England, of sub-species that we cannot breed true without II. Mating of queens is a lottery. So I say well done to those who wish to keep AMM alive. Make sure that you have planned breeding schemes and work for improvement. It would be a sad world if the only dairy cow was a Holstein and we had no Jerseys!
For the rest of us I believe we should make as much use of the work undertaken by our colleagues on the Continent and work with them to improve our bees. At every opportunity I exhort my fellow club members to remove nasty strains from their hives. I am sure this request falls on deaf ears most of the time. I was pleased, however, that last time I made the plea there were a number of colleagues backing me up in the light of the terrible experiences they had faced this year.
Please fellow members, stop sniping at each other, don't personalize threads , read posts carefully and try and behave in a constructive way.
One final request!! Admin can we have an English spell checker, not an American one??