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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...

Hi Adam - I’m in the west of Ireland so nearly as far to go as France or Spain but there are definitely beekeepers in the UK with Layens hives. I‘d try some of the facebook groups - there’s a Layens group and a treatment free Layens group. Great system over all - definitely recommend it.

I’d love to meet him. He came over to Ireland to give a talk this Spring or last Autumn - can’t quite remember but it clashed with my work. There are a couple of his talks on the bare foot beekeeper podcast that are really enjoyable.

I listened back to the talk and he says it’s Michael Collier - they have a partnership to breed Amm from Chain Bridge. Queen rearing takes place in Shropshire and the plan is to raise a lot more native queens. What prompted it was recent testing that showed Chain Bridge bees were 90% plus pure...

Is it possible to source queens from Chain Bridge honey? I listened to Willie Robsons talk from the National Honey Show and if I understood correctly he said they were in partnership with a queen rearer raising Northumberland AMM. That has to be a good genetic base for anyone to start from or to...

My understanding is that NUIG as part of this next study will maintain genetic testing of a fairly large cohort of free living colonies on an annual basis - which should give an accurate account of survivability and hopefully answer that question once and for all. I would say if you have...

Better beekeeping country than out where I am! Although it’s some run of weather at the moment even by the sea. There is a good bit of debate about the use of the term wild and free-living but as far as I’m aware they mean the same thing. Just the use of the term ‘wild’ triggers a negative...

Hi Mark, with the majority of honeybees (both in apiaries and freeliving) in Ireland being Amm you are much better off sticking with what you’ve got and working to improve them. You will have far more predictable results in terms of temperament particularly. If you try to breed your own queens...

Hi Alan, I live in Sligo- where on the West coast are you? Great you are working with our native honeybee. I’m not sure I understand what you mean. ‘Treatment free hived “wild” colonies’. Are these caught swarms where the beekeeper thinks they came from a tree, building, compost bin etc.? I...

I just saw Apis Bee supplies post that they received a big delivery of Abelo poly hives yesterday. Worth giving them a shout

I don’t understand why as a beekeeper you would not want the UK to be an AMM treatment free zone? This is what it should be, what it was for thousands of years before in a very short period of time it was mucked up by individuals looking to make a fast buck. It is not too late to go back.

https://www.earth.com/news/vegetation-helps-wild-honeybees-survive-the-winter/ Interesting article based on a scientific study from this year. Wild living Apis Mellifera Iberiensis colonies were found to be living and according to some reporting of the study ‘thriving’ in hollowed out...

I have posted this to other threads but I think it is quite relevant to this discussion. It is a talk by Professor Grace McCormack of NUI Galway on an ongoing study of wild living bees in Ireland. This study includes sampling and genetic testing on a yearly basis of identified wild living...

That sounds very promising! 2023 will be an exciting year. Hopefully you can keep everyone on the same page.

Hi Mabee, Wishing you every success with your Amm colonies! Can I ask what kind of bees are generally kept by the beekeepers in your area? Do you have access to isolated mating sites or are your bees likely to become hybridised in a couple of years?