3# Packages on Carniolan shipped??

**camero7** · 01-01-2013, 04:42 AM

Originally Posted by Bush_84

So does anybody have any positive reviews for these guys? I am looking for carni packages as well. One weird thing is that they ask you to select your own ship date. What date would work for north central Minnesota?

I got some packages from them a few years ago. Great packages with productive queens [I got their VSH queens]. I expect that the end of April or early May would work well for you.

**ycitybz** · 01-01-2013, 07:00 AM

One thing I don't see is anyone recommending these people wanting bees or queens to talk to other Beekeepers in their area...
Instead of asking these people from all over the world why don't you just talk to some guys/girls in your local club.. Find out what's working for them.. You need to be finding stock that can handle winters in your area and bees that have over wintered in Jersey not California..

**Bush_84** · 01-01-2013, 08:31 AM

The problem is that most in my area get their packages from California because they can get a bulk deal. No carnis however. There is a local guy that I have bought nucs from and he labeled them as carnis. I wasn't impressed with the nucs he sold me last year and his queens come from Hawaii. So....these Shamrock guys seem like a plan to me if some here have had luck with them.

**chrisd4421** · 01-01-2013, 08:47 AM

Originally Posted by ycitybz

One thing I don't see is anyone recommending these people wanting bees or queens to talk to other Beekeepers in their area...
Instead of asking these people from all over the world why don't you just talk to some guys/girls in your local club.. Find out what's working for them.. You need to be finding stock that can handle winters in your area and bees that have over wintered in Jersey not California..

Most of my clubs packages are Italians/hybrids that are trucked out of ATL. I will be getting 2 packages from them as well but wanted to also try something different.

There are very few bk in NJ that offer NJ survivor stock and those that do, many of them give you 3# of survivo bees with a queen from somewhere else.

Happy New Year everyone~!~
Chris in NJ

**Lburou** · 01-01-2013, 08:55 AM

Have you considered using local bees to get started and then requeening with a Carniolan queen some time before Winter? Forgive me for stating the obvious here, but in four to six weeks after introducing a new Carniolan queen, all the bees will all be Carniolan and,hopefully, exhibit the characteristics you want. HTH

**Bush_84** · 01-01-2013, 07:13 PM

Ya but then I have to buy queens. I would rather buy the breed that I want first. Now I could rear my own queens from my carni stock, but I don't feel as though I have a good carni to graft off of. My carnis have swarmed. I have a couple, but they one is feisty and the other had chalkbrood. Then again thus far the queens that my bees have made haven't been very dark, which leaves me to believe that Italians are common around here.