Buckfast F2 .... are they as bad as I'm reading about on the web??

[Jo Widdicombe]

I quote what he says " ultimately, for bee improvement, we need to go down the easiest route. " in his third paragraph.

Breeding local bees cannot be described - by any stretch of logic or English - as the "easiest route".

We can either add to the problem or try to solve the problem.
The problem is hybridised bees. They do not breed true so are hard to select and improve - it takes a lot of time and effort.
The solution is to stop adding to the problem by bringing in exotic sub-species, and for beekeepers and nature to start working together to produce something better. Nature will weed out undesirable genes, in terms of survival, and the beekeeper can do the same, in terms of the qualities that he or she wants.
By this process hybridisation of our bees will decrease and we will develop local populations that breed true, making progress, through selection and improvement, a reality.
People should think twice before bringing in exotics, like Buckfast, as they are merely condemning us to an endless cycle of further imports and never being able to develop a locally adapted bee.
Some people have got the message but clearly many have not. It is time to adopt a sustainable solution.

 

[Erichalfbee]

We can either add to the problem or try to solve the problem.
The problem is hybridised bees. They do not breed true so are hard to select and improve - it takes a lot of time and effort.
The solution is to stop adding to the problem by bringing in exotic sub-species, and for beekeepers and nature to start working together to produce something better. Nature will weed out undesirable genes, in terms of survival, and the beekeeper can do the same, in terms of the qualities that he or she wants.
By this process hybridisation of our bees will decrease and we will develop local populations that breed true, making progress, through selection and improvement, a reality.
People should think twice before bringing in exotics, like Buckfast, as they are merely condemning us to an endless cycle of further imports and never being able to develop a locally adapted bee.
Some people have got the message but clearly many have not. It is time to adopt a sustainable solution.

I keep Buckies
They are not imported. They are U.K. bred.
There are plenty of people with all the time in the world and the inclination to try what you are suggesting but there are equally plenty who want a nice laidback bee that gives them honey

 

[Finman]

Huge amount of beekeepers are happy that Buckfast has been made in England.

There are couple of coutries where guys can rear only one bee race.

What is happening in the UK?

90% out of beekeepers are 2 hive owners. The annual yield per hive tells that the amount of hives is far too big for rational beekeeping. Actually 1/4 of beehives would be proper amount.

More or less all your bees in the UK are hybrids. So they have been last 100 years.

Many of beekeepers in this forum say, that they do not mind, how much they get honey. To whom it is important thay UK bees are pure bred Black Bees?

 

[oxnatbees]

If you have a large apiary of Buckfasts, most of the drones in the area will be Buckfast, so F2s are likely to be too. This may be skewing perceptions. If the original poster is intending introducing a few Buckfasts to an apiary of mainly another race, they may see different outcomes.

 

[ericbeaumont]

bought locally from a breeder who had no problems until

Was he a breeder or a raiser of queens? Big difference.

 

[BugsInABox]

If you have a large apiary of Buckfasts, most of the drones in the area will be Buckfast, so F2s are likely to be too. This may be skewing perceptions. If the original poster is intending introducing a few Buckfasts to an apiary of mainly another race, they may see different outcomes.

I don’t think that’s right. It’s the cockapoos bread together don’t produce cockapoos argument.

Edit: fortunately cockapoo is a fairly simple search.

https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threa...e-seriously-bad-idea.50197/page-4#post-765358

 

[coffindodger]

Was he a breeder or a raiser of queens? Big difference.

Both, but I never did find out how he mated his queens - one of several questions I now know to ask in the future before buying.