Hillbillynursery
11-20-2003, 01:45 PM
A little back ground on me, I was raised a big part of my life around bees. My father kept bees until we moved to TN in 1981. He boxed a swarm mainly to get it out of the nieghbor yard. It lasted a several years not being touched. I think they failed to make a queen after swarming. After loosing this colony I longed to be around them again. My father said the bee journals said it was not proffitable because of the mites was his reason for not moving his hives south from IL. So I searched for mite resistance( tracial mites anyway). I chose buckfast bees. I started this spring with 2 packages. One of the queens never laid eggs. They sent a replacement queen. She out did the other hive but was agressive. I caught a swarm in late June(small). I made a split to make a new queen for the agressive colony from both of the buckfast colonies making sure I only put older brood in from the agressive colony. I ended up killing the queen, and giving the bees and brood to the weaker buckfast, from the swarm colony as it was to weak to make it thru the winter. This is where I am now.
Now to my question. I plan on getting 4 more colonies made from splits and giving them purchased queens if all goes well thru the winter. I want to get 2 Italians and 2 NWCs. What breeder would you purchase them from? Does anyone know where to get 5 banded Italians( the local beekeeper I found said he use to get these and loved them so this is for him)?
I need non agressive bees as my mother is sensitive to stings. After I got the buckfast bees I got into a couple of Yahoo groups. Several other were stating how the buckfast were being agressive in one hive and gentle as lambs in the next. I plan on getting some small cell fountain and start working toward small cell as well. I am thinking of getting some perma comb as it is about 5.1mm to get me started in the right direction. I do not remember who first sent me to this site but thank you.
JC
Now to my question. I plan on getting 4 more colonies made from splits and giving them purchased queens if all goes well thru the winter. I want to get 2 Italians and 2 NWCs. What breeder would you purchase them from? Does anyone know where to get 5 banded Italians( the local beekeeper I found said he use to get these and loved them so this is for him)?
I need non agressive bees as my mother is sensitive to stings. After I got the buckfast bees I got into a couple of Yahoo groups. Several other were stating how the buckfast were being agressive in one hive and gentle as lambs in the next. I plan on getting some small cell fountain and start working toward small cell as well. I am thinking of getting some perma comb as it is about 5.1mm to get me started in the right direction. I do not remember who first sent me to this site but thank you.
JC