Recent content by Lislarybees

Never a mistake! Hopefully more follow your lead 😎 I have struggled when requeening hybridised colonies with pure Amm but many factors at play from size of colony to weather conditions etc. If it’s a big colony you could make up a Nuc - introduce the native queen to that and then combine with...

You could try these different organisations. They could put you in touch with nucleus/starter colony suppliers locally of Apis Mellifera Mellifera or the honey bee native to France http://www.abeillenoire44.fr/ http://abeillenoireouessant.bzh/ (Bretagne)...

Ireland is by and large pure or nearly pure Apis Mellifera Mellifera (except in some areas that have become hybridised). As a country we one of the last strongholds for the subspecies in Europe. We are also the centre for some of the most important honeybee research on the planet. This is being...

Nonsense. Maybe in the UK because you have so much hybridisation but here in Ireland you can catch swarms from wild colonies amd have quite calm bees from the get go. Some colonies may have a tendency to swarm some will not. Plenty of wild colonies here that don’t swarm every year. Selection in...

Not really - you just need everyone keeping a pure subspecies native to the country you live in and no imports. There will be some genetic flow between your kept beeps and the wild living ones but everyone’s bees will be healthier for that and if at any time you run short of bees or you lose...

If you can get a few of your local beekeepers on board you could set up an Amm queen rearing group. Helps to have a few of you working on the same page and makes it all that bit more fun!

The link works?

What was your experience with the Amm from NI?

North Staffordshire sounds a lot like north Sligo 😂 we might stay a little warmer in Winter? The reality is your local bees are like that because of imports. Stop the inflow of genetics or repopulate with enough Amm to form a stable population and stop imports and you’ll be onto a winner

I’m not sure if this link will work for folks based in the UK but this documentary is a great watch. Largely in Irish but with English subtitles...

Many small caught swarms do make it through the cold months no problem and build up really well then. I’m just saying where I experience ‘some’ Winter losses. I think we all wonder at our own practises at times. You can never improve without a self audit. You are right though diversity is key...

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/367532716_Investigations_into_wild_honeybees_in_Ireland All my bee keeping is based on caught swarms. I place my traps in areas where I know there are wild colonies living and catch more than I know what to do with. From time to time I pick up a clearly...

Presumably the reset you talk of means the re-introduction of pure Amm and the re-establishment of the natural ecological order?

Really positive to see all the main beekeeping associations in Ireland reaffirming their commitment to conserving Amm by halting the import of non-native honeybees into the country. Still work to be done to get the necessary legislation over the line but with the majority pulling in the right...

Hi Malcolm, I have mostly 14 frame Layens hives and 6 frame Nucs that I bought from Spain. These worked out pretty cheap. All have been populated with caught swarms. Going into this season I had 5 colonies in Layens and now it’s up to 12. I thought 14 frame might be enough in the West of Ireland...