What color are russians

[dickm]

I just got 5 russian queens from Kelley Bees. I expected them to be similar to my Carniolans (black). In fact, the russians I have seen were even blacker. These were quite yellow. So, what color are your russians?

Dickm

[beegee]

We had a talk by a Russian breeder. He showed slides of his queens that range from coppery-red to golden.

[Michael Bush]

None of the russians I've had were black. They were from copper to yellow.

[swarm_trapper]

how does a rusian act i mean like gentilness honey production and wintering? SWARM

[swarm_trapper]

I forgot to add spring buildup:0 SWARM

[Michael Bush]

I see as much difference from weather as I see from race.

[swarm_trapper]

That wasn't much help http://www.beesource.com/ubb/biggrin.gif SWARM

[txbeeguy]

Back to the original question: the colour is quite variable. These bees from the far eastern region of Russia (Primorsky Kray) were not selected for their uniform colour traits, they were selected primarily (only?) for their Varroa resistance genetics. Kinda like the Buckfast bee; Br. Adam never had colour as one of his breeding criteria so Buckfast bees can be quite variable in colour too. I've posted this before but I consider it fundamental to understanding this "new" Russian bee; in fact, I would almost go so far as to say the only reason you should buy Russians is if your desire to be free of chemical treatment for Varroa is of paramount concern to you. I personally believe most of the other traits by which we judge the "quality" of a queen is going to be highly variable (at least for the next several generations in the U.S.). That is to say, some hobbyist beekeepers will be singing their praises, while others will swear never again to purchase a Russian queen. The USDA has accomplished some (limited) effort at screening these Russian queens to try and make the 'best' queens available to breeders. But there is a limit to what they can accomplish due the highly variable ancestry (not many generations removed) of these bees. THE MAIN trait the USDA wants to capture and introduce to American beekeepers is the potential Varroa resistance these bees represent.
Are there more gentle races? Yes. Are there better honey producers? Yes. Are there queens less likely to swarm? Yes. Are there queens that build up earlier in the Spring? Yes. Are there bees who manage their Winter food stores better? Yes. Are all these beneficial traits wrapped up in the Russian bees? No.