All-American

[TwT]

I am going to get a package of the all-american bees (AKA:Allstars) from BEE WEAVER this spring , has anyone that has had or has these bees please tell me how the do as building up, mite resistance, temper, prodution ext. all info is appreciated.

[TwT]

I was reading a old post and people were talking about getting there all-americans from drapers instead of B Weaver. i call drapers and they said they get there all-americans from bee weaver. So if you have all-americans let me know if they were mean after 2nd generation.
http://www.beesource.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/001254.html

[Michael Bush]

The All-Americans I had were just really good Italians. They built up and produced and acted like a well bred Italian. As far as going postal, I haven't had any lately, but the second and third generation were fine when I had them a couple of decades ago.

[mark williams]

Just get a good Italian,In your part of Ga thayare hard to beat.>>>>Mark

[BjornBee]

If I lived in Georgia, I would drive over and check a few places in the back yard. If I had the options that living in Georgia gave, the last thing I would do is order from elsewhere. I ordered from a few places there, and have visited them also. If I had to order from just one, it would have to be from Shuman's. Nice operation, and good people. No All-americans however......

[jfischer]

Both B Weaver and R Weaver Apiaries are
in Navasota, TX.

Here is a map of the Texas quarantined counties
due to Africanized bee infestations.
http://agnews.tamu.edu/bees/quaran.htm

Navasota is in Grimes County, the amazingly
white area shown on the map above at
10 O'Clock near Houston, using Houston as
the center of the clock. Somehow, AHB has
infested counties to the South, North, East,
and West of Grimes County, but not Grimes
or Madison Counties.

One should draw one's own conclusions about
this amazing state of affairs.

Georgia has a different problem - Small Hive Beetles.
Here's an outdated map of the extent of the infestation
dating from 2002, but I'd check with one's state apiarist
for an update. (I have no idea why the map has not been
updated.) http://www.ceris.purdue.edu/napis/pests/shb/imap/gashb.html

In summary, Georgia and Texas are not good long-term
locations for producing queens and packages, and may
not be places a prudent person looks for a supplier of
live bees.

When in doubt, demand a individually signed written guarantee
addressed to you by name from the supplier that the bees you
are shipped will be 100% free of SHB and varroa and will be
gentle enough to work in shorts and tee shirts.

Regardless, beekeepers with less than a decade of experience
would be well advised to have a more experienced beekeeper
or a bee inspector look at packages within a week of their
installation, to insure that you do not become the unwitting
person who is remembered as "the person who let the disaster
happen".

[TwT]

Im getting 4 nucs from HARDEMAN APIARIES
Mt. Vernon, GA. but i wanted to try one package of all american bees form b.weaver, if i like them i might get some more. If i do get a package with the AHB trait ill kill the queen and go get me another queen from Hardeman's. thank for the replys guys.

[BULLSEYE BILL]

>If i do get a package with the AHB trait ill kill the queen

Don't forget to kill the drones too.

[BjornBee]

Jfischer,
Although I would be concerned about putting hive beetles directly into a hive via a nuc or package, the idea that an apairy is small hive beetle free on the east coast is about non-existant. This year in Pa. we all but stopped tracking the spread of the beetle. Its widespread, and in all areas. Some of the maps on the websites should really be updated. I will say that although its been found in many hives on a limited bases, hives being totally devestated from the beetle has been next to nothing.

I'm not saying that picking a breeder who runs a first class operation, and keeps his product dsesease free isn't important, they are, but getting the hive beetle on the east coast is almost a given in the near future. The spread is occurring no matter what the effort is. Maybe getting bee breeds that have been exposed, and are good at dealing with them, may be a good approach in the future. Living on the east coast and not buying from a breeder who lives in this area that beetles are established, (like georgia) and thinking that it will matter is fruitless. I do agree with African strains. But not the beetles.

And yes, being aware and doing the best to limit beetles is in everyone interest. But I think it will be about the same that happened with v-mites. At first it was to stop the spread, and very fast turned to efforts to deal with the problem. So also will be the beetles path. Saying Georgia will not be long term place to be a breeder, based on beetles, is almost like saying that no place would be a good place. We all will have to deal with the beetle.

[Beemaninsa]

jfischer
Earlier this year Grimes county was listed in the AHB quarantine. See agnews.tamu.edu/bees/quaran.htm. SHB are in Grmes county also. B Weaver states SHB are in his colonies. I suspect AHB have been in Grimes county for some time. I currently have several dozen hives with R Weaver queens, none exibit AHB traits. The Weavers are good breeders and I like their bees.

[Mitch]

Wow

[jfischer]

> the idea that an apairy is small hive
> beetle free on the east coast is about
> non-existant

Here is Virgina, we have only two small
infestations, one in Suffolk, VA where
a hobby beekeeper ordered packages from
a certain producer in GA, and one in
Northern VA where the beekeeper is migratory,
and therefore exposed his hives to infested
hives from elsewhere when overwintering in
the South or pollinating somewhere.

While these infestations may now be
impossible to eliminate, our state level
folks will use every trick in the book
to keep the beetles contained.

If they don't, I have explained exactly
how I will make them share my pain, in
great detail. http://www.beesource.com/ubb/smile.gif


[This message has been edited by jfischer (edited October 22, 2004).]

[izybo]

I ordered an all american queen 2 years ago. The hive was a great producer so I raised a queen from the original. Her hive was a good producer too excect very aggressive. They would sting without warning if I got within 5 feet of the hive. I was working the yard one day in my tee shirt and had gone through seven or eight hives with only a few stings on my fingers from my own stupidity. When I opened the cover on the first generation all american hive I was immediately covered in bees with about 10 or 15 stings before I could run like a man possesed to the barn. They followed me into the dark of the barn and I could even smell the odor of their alarm pheramone from all of the stings.. Needless to say that hive has been requeened and I now raise all my own queens. I really didn't have any problem with the original queen but I don't want that type of genetics to spread into the local population.

[Rob Mountain]

If it was from Weavers in Texas – Say no more

------------------
If a job is worth doing - Then do it well

[danno1800]

Jfischer,
Grimes is listed on that website as one of the counties in the AHB quarantine. Click on the list and you'll see for yourself. Thanks for the link!