Amm / Native Black Bee Discussion

Hello,
For those interested in Amm / Native Black Bees. Tell us about your bees, queen rearing groups, successes and failures.
Please feel free to post your experiences, observations, or questions regarding the above.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I'm lost with it, I thought the main problem with none amm bees was the very large brood and reluctance to slow down to suit our maritime climate (like aml being adapted to long summers and laying lots of brood to take advantage of their climate) so forinstance amm holding up in a cold spell and not producing lots of hungry brood with no income. I've heard amm will out crop anything else when measured over a decade as this accounts for poor summers bad springs ect. I thought for the reasons above everything but amm struggle to survive in the wild hear. Well done on 6 supers though!

I keep orange grey and black bees. The orange and grey ones far far outperform the black ones in a good year but in a bad year the black ones do bring in honey when the others don’t. It’s win win for me. I always get a decent crop.

 

[Ian123]

Yes. Most do.

Lol…….whothey get replaced when they need replacing

 

[Robinredcar]

Yes. Most do.

Mine don't seem to be lasting a year before the bees make a mess of them

 

[Erichalfbee]

Lol…….whothey get replaced when they need replacing

It’s a perennial issue. I can include you in the “not most “

 

[Robinredcar]

It’s a perennial issue. I can include you in the “not most “

Lol seems just about everyone

 

[pargyle]

I have a couple of colonies sans QX. I don’t replace super frames that have been laid in and neither does Philip I’m sure.
When the brood nest contracts at the end of summer those frames are full of honey and are extracted with the rest
As far as eating a big chunk of their honey it is theirs after all.

Yep ... exactly that ....

 

[pargyle]

Well I’m pretty slapdash. I don’t put supers back on the colonies they come from unless by accident so the frames brooded in get mixed up with the others anyway.

Me too ...

 

[Swarm]

First of the cells in the incubator has emerged

 

[E&MBees]

This is a new locally mated queen, who emerged a few weeks ago. She was the result of a split due to swarm preps. Started laying on the 12th of May now up to 4 frames of eggs and larvae and one of sealed worker brood.

Her mother, who is a similar colour but much slimmer and longer is laying beautifully and I’m hoping that the daughter will follow her good example. Attached is a frame from the mothers colony.

 

[Swarm]

Thanks for posting Emily, what a stunner and her entourage as well. Great photo. Her mother is a good one looking at that brood pattern.
I had a full house with all eight cells emerging over the weekend, the last one early this morning. Had a nice time meeting the beekeepers who came to collect them yesterday, fingers crossed for them.

 

[Swarm]

I should have a couple of new queens laying if all is well and a few more who should have a great weekend for playing with the boys. Brooding has kicked off in earnest, should be maxing out soon judging by the nests today at the farm apiary where we still have a dozen yet to start charging cells. Next visit will be different no doubt.
I've had a few people asking about Amm/ native bees, it's been quite refreshing, one chap tried a few Amm queens and is in the process of restocking his apiary. The queens that went out have all been accepted so just a case of waiting for brood now.
I'm very happy with the queens we raised last year.

 

[madasafish]

I'm lost with it, I thought the main problem with none amm bees was the very large brood and reluctance to slow down to suit our maritime climate (like aml being adapted to long summers and laying lots of brood to take advantage of their climate) so forinstance amm holding up in a cold spell and not producing lots of hungry brood with no income. I've heard amm will out crop anything else when measured over a decade as this accounts for poor summers bad springs ect. I thought for the reasons above everything but amm struggle to survive in the wild hear. Well done on 6 supers though!

Almost all male cow excrement.
My non AMM bees take brood breaks when the weather is poor, slim down brood nests in winter and build up in Spring. As for crop levels locally I am open about my outputs per production hives: no-one else publishes anything so they either don't know or are ashamed to publish.

 

[madasafish]

Me too ...

I keep track of my honey output per hive. So each year supers are identified to hives (gaffer tape on super with hive number and weighed before and after extraction). And replaced on source hive.
Gaffer tape removed before next year/ cycle begins again.
I have a distribution of outputs: 33% poor, 33% Good, 33% very good.. roughly the same every year .No correlation with Queens or position.

 

[Robinredcar]

Almost all male cow excrement.
My non AMM bees take brood breaks when the weather is poor, slim down brood nests in winter and build up in Spring. As for crop levels locally I am open about my outputs per production hives: no-one else publishes anything so they either don't know or are ashamed to publish.

It dosnt seem to be the case for most none amm bees, most their keepers admit to feeding alot? There's a very knowledgeable bloke near me i was lucky to meet who keeps amm bees and his bees seem to be flying along, some had filled 3 supers already and my mongrels have only filled one!

 

[Lislarybees]

Beautiful swarm of black bees
View attachment IMG_8982.MOV

 

[Lislarybees]

Now safely in a Layens hive. Looking forward to experimenting with these hives this year using caught swarms.
View attachment IMG_9017.MOV

 

[deemann1]

All my colonies are amm no mongrels or foreign bees ..
Im rearing queens past few year and am very happy with my amm

 

[Lislarybees]

All my colonies are amm no mongrels or foreign bees ..
Im rearing queens past few year and am very happy with my amm

Bees are looking great Deemann - what part of the country are you in?

 

[elainemary]

I keep track of my honey output per hive. So each year supers are identified to hives (gaffer tape on super with hive number and weighed before and after extraction). And replaced on source hive.
Gaffer tape removed before next year/ cycle begins again.
I have a distribution of outputs: 33% poor, 33% Good, 33% very good.. roughly the same every year .No correlation with Queens or position.

V interesting. I’ve started to do the same over last 2 years, not as precisely as you but estimating honey per colony as well as other traits eg temper. Your numbers feel the same as my conclusions around a 1/3rd from a good queen follow her mothers traits for temper and build up. Feels a higher number for honey production though. Think the apiary site / weather has much more of an impact.

 

[elainemary]

Drone brood produced on foundationless frames in a colony with good traits that I’m wanting to influence their chances of mating with my virgins. Taking my queens / cells to get mated to this apiary (slightly different area of the site but close by) from a different queen line, in the hope that some of them will mate with these drones.

We put a lot of emphasis on the queen but the boys are 50% of the equation. I’m helping with a queen rearing session in my association soon and want to encourage all those interested in queen rearing to put a super comb or foundationless frame into their best hive. If we all did that, as amateurs / hobbyists, we could raise the quality of our bees