From: Erik Osterlund <honeybee@elgon.se>
Date: Tue, 4 Jul 2001 23:06:05 +0200
To: BiologicalBeekeeping@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: Ferals (was egyptian stock)

Trevor

As these ferals are not enlarged through selection or enlarged foundation,
maybe swarms from them could be used to draw 4.9 mm cell size foundation
nicely. Hans-Otto Johnsson from Norway has found a couple of bad tempered
non selected colonies that do that very well. As a matter of fact they so
much prefer the 4.8-4.9 he has that they don't want to use the 5.1 sized
ones in the same box for brood rearing. These are also probably very much
inluenced by A.m.m.

Erik

>.. We have had DNA work done on a couple of occasions that shows that
>our ferals are not related to the commercially managed hives. No doubt
>there will be areas in towns that will have been influenced by the genes
>from recreational beekeeper's hives.
>
>Our ferals are not pure mellifera mellifera but are cerainly not related to
>our commercilly related stocks but closely related to A.m.m.. There is an
>area in Tasmania that is reputed to have pure mellifera mellifera.