Best Bees?

[waxteeth]

I am newby and have started with a Italian bee 2 colonies. We are wanting to expand our colonies and my thoughts are to have a variety of bees to reduce the chances of a disease killing out all of the same species. Am I way off base here?

What other types of bees are good in ways such resistent to diseases/mites?

Are there bees that are better for a colder climate "Central Illinios"?

Thank you for your help.

[drobbins]

Hi

I'm a rookie too
I took a beekeeping course at our local university
they have the notes from the course online

http://www.cals.ncsu.edu:8050/entomology/apiculture/Beekeeping_notes.html

one of the topics there (1.12) is about different types of bee's, I thought it was a pretty good read

Dave

[iddee]

My opinion is this:
You have brand a and brand b. The first year they supercede and mate with 15 to 20 drones from both brands. The second year the possibly crossed stock supercedes again, mating with numerous drones again. I'm guessing you now definitely have brand ab stock. If you want a particular stock, buy all one brand and hope there are no others in the area.

[Rod Weakley]

My opinion is as long as you aren't in an AFricanized honeybee area is to let your bees naturalize to the area. Local bees are probably better suited to the climate, and diseases and such. It's not possible to keep your bees pure without a lot of hassle so if they are producing, and are calm bees why bother worrying what their pedigree is? smile.gif

[tecumseh]

waxteeth ask:
Am I way off base here?


tecumseh replies:
If you look at all the old literature you come to the realization that Italians were the bee of choice for a very long time in beekeeping circles. So long in fact, that I suspect that many of our current problems are related to this almost 'exclusive' choice. Now I am not trying to bash italians, since all the stock that I pocess is heavily italians. The italians suit me fine here in Texas, however they may well not be the best breed of bees for Illinois.

Lots of northern beekeepers use to choose midnights (which I think was a cross). This is just one of the breeds that start out slow in the spring and maintains small clusters thru the winter months. There advantage over the italians was the thrift in utilizing stores.

[Mitch]

I am finding that bees are like any thing such as cats and dogs.Some of the so called pure breeds are not allways what you like them to be.A good old mutt from a swarm or fearl hive is best for me.

[Michael Bush]

Let's be honest. If we let the bees die that can't contend with the mites or the diseases we'd have resitant stock already. But we don't want to take the losses. On the other hand the feral bees have already taken the losses. smile.gif

[drobbins]

Dang Michael,
There you go making all kinds of sense again.
I've found a tree full of ferals
I can't cut it, I'm going after a swarm HARD in the spring
(IE: multiple traps)

If I fail I'm gonna get up with you for a few queens
Have you sent any queens down my way??
did people have good luck with em??
the climate is pretty different

Dave

[iddee]

Dave, I've got 3 hives I can trace back at least 6 years without treatment before I took over their care last year. One had 0 mites in a sugar roll done by the state inspector 3 weeks ago.
I plan to raise queens from these hives in the spring. Since I do not graft, I will be limited to the number I raise by pulling frames with swarm cells or eggs and putting in nucs, but if you want to bring a nuc or two down about mar. 1, we will find you a frame of eggs to go in them.

[drobbins]

iddee

you are da man!!!
I'd really rather find something local
it seems like that has to be the best way to go
I'm just a rookie, started 1 hive this year
I plan to start several more in the spring
I'll be in touch as time goes on to figure out just how to make this happen
I'd love to just come by and talk to somebody with some experience

Thanks
Dave

[iddee]

Dave, I think I missed something somewhere.
I'm 50 miles from you, but you want to deal with MB in NE because you want to stay with locals????

[drobbins]

no no no
you missed something
I'd LOVE to get a couple of nucs/splits whatever from you in the spring
like I said, I'm a rookie
I really like the idea of bee's that have survived without treatment
ferals/just good genes/whatever
as a rookie, I'm trying to figure out how to go about this, one option is to get some queens from Michael
the obvious downside is the big difference in climate from here to NE
I'd much rather get something local
(from you)

I'm also gonna try to catch a swarm from a (I think) feral hive at a friends house (obviously that's kinda ify)

I'm gonna start 4 or five colonies next spring
I'd love to get a couple from you
maybe a couple from Brushy Mountain, which I might re-queen with some of Michaels queens a little later
Hoping to get a swarm from the afor-mentioned ferals
I don't think there are many/if any local bee's nearby, so if I can get some good stock from a couple of sources, hopefully I can get a good mix and have good success

I'd definately like to get a couple of nucs from you

Dave

[cmq]

iddee, where in NC are you? I possibly could help you out on the grafting part.

[iddee]

Greensboro.
Thanks for the offer, but it's not that I don't know how. I'm sixty years old and shake like a kitten in a dog lot. My eyes are shot, and I am a hobbist beek and don't have a use for that many queens.
Hush, Bubba, I already know the eyes and ears are the second and third things to go. :(