Reddit mentions of Honeybee Democracy

Check out some documentaries, it will give you stuff to think about. Vanishing of the Bees, Queen of the Sun...I believe both of those are on Netflix.

One of my favorites is Nova's Tales from the Hive...check on YouTube, there was a high-res version in three 20-ish minute parts. These crazy film makers put surgical cameras on bees! It gives you a great perspective of things from the bees' POV.

Edit...Here are links to the best version!
Part one: http://youtu.be/SjfJVYC_TJg
Part two: http://youtu.be/8Qx_f3ZIrwo
Part three: http://youtu.be/fM_fcVCRKew

Another great book, although very scientific, is the Beekeeper's Handbook (http://www.amazon.com/The-Beekeepers-Handbook-Diana-Sammataro/dp/0801476941).

I've been meaning to read Honeybee Democracy but haven't gotten around to it. In fact, I'm going to get on Amazon and see if there is a Kindle version right now. (Edit: yay, there is! There wasn't the last time I looked: http://www.amazon.com/Honeybee-Democracy-Thomas-D-Seeley-ebook/dp/B0046A9M68/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1405486484&sr=1-1&keywords=Honeybee+democracy)

I'm also going to come back and edit with links...edited to add, I did 😊

The best bees for you and your area are likely to be from a colony that has already successfully over-wintered in your area. This way you know your colony(ies) will have "what it takes" to survive where you're at.

Capture a swarm, buy local. If you want to learn about swarms, attracting them and how best to capture/keep them, find yourself a copy of "Honeybee Democracy" by Thomas D. Seeley - good read and some GREAT info on swarms and capturing them!

If all else fails, contact your local beekeeper club/association and/or find a local keeper that'd be willing to sell a nuc.

Anyone considering how to improve reaching consensus needs to study how honeybees have already very efficiently solved this problem: http://www.amazon.com/Honeybee-Democracy-ebook/dp/B0046A9M68/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1320030941&sr=8-5