Apis mellifera mellifera

[keith pierce]

they look beautiful to me

 

[keith pierce]

More apis mellifera mellifera



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[Swarm]

Gorgeous pics.
My 'sticky' colonies look very similar/identical, very dark but I think they are at best, just dark crosses. They love their propolis but are productive and on the whole, nice bees.

 

[For want of a better word]

Just like ours..queen even has same white spot on her back!

 

[Stiffy]

Yes and I think I know him! !!
Cheers
S

Sent from my Android touchpad

 

[REDWOOD]

What size brood box would you keep this breed in ?

 

[mbc]

What size brood box would you keep this breed in ?

Most of mine are fine in one standard national box, though some get a second or even a third national brood box if they need to expand in their first full season.

 

[REDWOOD]

Hi, Thanks for that as I had them as a swarm last year and put them in a 14x12 and expanded very quickly, They have got through the winter ok so I will be keeping an eye on them this summer

 

[Robbie & Jans Bees]

Amm

Its not about what sort of bees you have its about promoting the good side and health of your bees surley strong, healthy,good honey production and good temper is the way forward? or am I alone with my views.

 

[For want of a better word]

Its not about what sort of bees you have its about promoting the good side and health of your bees surley strong, healthy,good honey production and good temper is the way forward? or am I alone with my views.

Certainly not alone there... but AMMs where you live, of the local variety. would suit you extremely well !

​

 

[Robbie & Jans Bees]

Hey no complaints from me I hope to collect swarms this year and re-queen with help from Jo I have one lovely hive strong quite and good temper and Jo seems to think most of them are AMM so looks good for going forward. I have also been given the use of an orchard its about 200 years old I put in a new gate and re-fence last weekend, over the next month I will prune the old fruit trees and clean up and under sow with wildflower seed. I have started to make hives so should have 10 ready by June, just hope to collect some bees x fingers.

 

[BobsBees]

AMM Queens

Hi all,
Some very interesting reading on this thread, some good sensible comments, also some negative/silly posts.

I really think you are missing one big thing. No-one has commented so far on this.

Its all very well having a nice polished BLACK queen. But the proof is in the Mating, unless you can mate your virgin queen in an area that is solid with other similar amm stock with look alike drones, your offspring can be a complete mix of all other bees in your area. This is the difficult part of bee breeding, and I for one do not think it can be done in the south east of England.

I have bred some really black bodied worker bees, but when I look at the Morf wing measurements, they are far from amm.
But I will continue into 2012. Without importing ANY bees. Just quietly working away on my own, you never know one day I could be famous!

Bob.

 

[wightbees]

Is it possible to work backwards through the Genes to get AMM then Bob ?

 

[susbees]

Our bee improvement group will be using II from this season (with L plates) and seriously from 2013. Equipment was largely funded by the BKA with financial capitation per apiary involved, & we plough on. Also we are very lucky to have an accomplished II practitioner willing to help us with everything we've forgotten and more.

Single box Amm-like bees work very well in this part of the world. Native characteristics and morphometry to check we're heading the right way.

 

[Bob Bee]

Hi all,
Some very interesting reading on this thread, some good sensible comments, also some negative/silly posts.

I really think you are missing one big thing. No-one has commented so far on this.

Its all very well having a nice polished BLACK queen. But the proof is in the Mating, unless you can mate your virgin queen in an area that is solid with other similar amm stock with look alike drones, your offspring can be a complete mix of all other bees in your area. This is the difficult part of bee breeding, and I for one do not think it can be done in the south east of England.

I have bred some really black bodied worker bees, but when I look at the Morf wing measurements, they are far from amm.
But I will continue into 2012. Without importing ANY bees. Just quietly working away on my own, you never know one day I could be famous!

Bob.

Were very lucky here in Cornwall, some good people working on AMM as a project and informally, supporting others to do the same.
There is really scant accurate information on drone congregation as far as I can see and its particularly interesting that AMM types survive all over despite the huge numbers of imports etc in any given area. Someone recently suggested that it could even be something as simple as the height at which different breeds fly to mate (ie maybe AMM mate at 20ft and Italians more commonly at 15ft) but we simply don't have the information as far as I can see.
Good to see your beavering away, hope you get famous, send me a signed copy of the book.

 

[mbc]

Were very lucky here in Cornwall, some good people working on AMM as a project and informally, supporting others to do the same.
There is really scant accurate information on drone congregation as far as I can see and its particularly interesting that AMM types survive all over despite the huge numbers of imports etc in any given area. Someone recently suggested that it could even be something as simple as the height at which different breeds fly to mate (ie maybe AMM mate at 20ft and Italians more commonly at 15ft) but we simply don't have the information as far as I can see.
Good to see your beavering away, hope you get famous, send me a signed copy of the book.

There seems a common perception amongst experienced beekeepers in amm areas that, for whatever reason, amm drones seem to have an advantage over other types.

 

[The Cumbrian]

Someone recently suggested that it could even be something as simple as the height at which different breeds fly to mate (ie maybe AMM mate at 20ft and Italians more commonly at 15ft) but we simply don't have the information as far as I can see.

As I understand it male insects will fly considerable distances (in some species) following a pheromone to find the female. Surely a drone would fly higher or lower following the pheromone once it had picked it up.

 

[Robbie & Jans Bees]

As fer as I can tell in this part of South-East Cornwall we have water on three sides of us the work that Jo and friends are doing is flooding the area with AMM drones thereby trying to keep mix mating down to a mim but like he says its the best he can hope for? I hope people who keep bees near here look to keep up the good work? I know I will try.

 

[RoofTops]

Thanks Keith looks exactly like a swarm I picked up this year with a virgin queen, after 4 weeks they swarmed and look like they have settled down, great honey producers fast build up quiet bees, see what happens next year!!!

fast build up, quiet, good honey producers? That would be the Carniolan then.

http://www.mikesbeesandhoney.com/product/4000

Double click on the lower image with the queen with the white spot. It will enlarge to a very big size and to me the bees and queen look indentical to the images posted earlier. But of course if the morphiwotsit has been done I am sure the others are AMMs. But it does show that appearances can be deceptive and just because your bees are dark it does not mean they are AMM or indeed even vaguely native.

 

[For want of a better word]

fast build up, quiet, good honey producers? That would be the Carniolan then.

http://www.mikesbeesandhoney.com/product/4000

Double click on the lower image with the queen with the white spot. It will enlarge to a very big size and to me the bees and queen look indentical to the images posted earlier. But of course if the morphiwotsit has been done I am sure the others are AMMs. But it does show that appearances can be deceptive and just because your bees are dark it does not mean they are AMM or indeed even vaguely native.

If you look very closely at the white dot... it is just like a POLO !