I got a couple of nucs from a local beekeeper. He told me that the queens were Hygenic Italians. Does anyone know anything about these bees? Are they simply Italians that have been bred to want to clean? Forgive my ignorance....just want to know what I've got.
Dan
In theory (a wonderful place) hygenic bees have been tested and bred for the characteristic of cleaning out dead or damaged brood. The thoery is that they are less succeptable to brood diseases and mites. The standard test is to freeze a small patch of brood with some Liquid Nitrogen and see how long it takes them to clean it out.
Dan
A good web page for info on hygenic testing is at,
http://www.honeybeeworld.com/misc/hygienic.htm
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If a job is worth doing - Then do it well
Thanks guys for the info.
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