Carniolans?

[Geoff]

Are these Carniolans? I set up a bait hive and when i came back to take it for a swarm I found it had been occupied by these guys. The swarm went in another hive but as there were not a huge number of these i put them in a nuke box. They are very gentle. When the weather was hot i had my hammock 4 foot in front of them and they are not bothered. They did not do much at first and were quite content to go upstairs and use a feeder. But all of a sudden they are rushing out in all weathers. I watched them for 5 minutes the other day and every returning bee had a full pollen load.

 

[grizzly]

Hi Geoff

They look darker than the Carnis i have, could they be a local mongrel ?

If you have Carniolan nucs, you wont get a true picture of their temperament until they fill the brood box.

The Carnis i bought last summer have been Bastards this spring. i hope yours are form different stock.

 

[Geoff]

I think I had had previous experience of carnie hybrids. They were OK until you looked in the brood box. Guided missiles would be a good description of how they could be then.
These are the same colour as the swarm I collected. The swarm are very gentle and are producing very white wax. I collected the swarm from about 5 miles away. This lot in the photo just arrived in the garden and squatted in the bait hive.
Am wondering whether there is any significance in their sudden change in behaviour. From being a lazy colony they are now up early and go to bed late and fly while it is raining. When I transferred them to the nuke I could not see anything that looked like a queen and wondered whether they were a cast with a virgin queen. If so she has had some nice weather to do the business and plenty of noisy drones about.

 

[Finman]

.
Backs of bees seems more brown than grey, what Carnica has.
Look strong strands.

 

[peteinwilts]

is there a website that shows the different varieties?

Dave Cushman's site has many of the subspecies but has primarily dead links.

It could make a good sticky on the forum.

 

[grizzly]

Yes i agree, it would be nice for those of us who have not kept all varieties to see whats about.

 

[BKF Admin]

I have a nice collection of pics on my hardrive showing the different race's.
I will upload them and collate info on different good and bad traits of each.

 

[grizzly]

Did you know if you examine a Carniolan queen closely, just at the back of her head you can see

 

[Mission]

As I understand things (And I don't mind being corrected on this) but isn't the only way you can accurately determin a species by wing morphometry?

The different stains of bees have different characteristics shown in the make up of their wings. I am sure Bibba offer a screening and identification service.

 

[BKF Admin]

You can do wing morphology at home,there is a free computer programe that helps you.

 

[Finman]

.
Yes, but mostly bees are cross mated. Wing hybrids!
Perhaps you may spend you summer day better.

 

[Eyeman]

Nice pics.
Just noticed that you have 5 drones at the entrance- do you think the swarm was a cast with a virgin?

 

[Geoff]

Well there certainly is no laying queen at present. I had a look through today. No eggs, no brood. They have put pollen and a bit of honey in. These bees seem to have a rather original way of drawing out foundation. They obviously don't like to be constrained by straight lines and there were some interesting wax sculptures.
And one little bee found the tiny tear in the palm of of my marigold glove. It is a horriblle feeling to feel the bee inside the glove and you know whats coming - and it damn well hurt.

 

[Finno]

It is a horriblle feeling to feel the bee inside the glove and you know whats coming -

Indeed I know that "little tickle" well just before they strike!

 

[Haughton Honey]

Might I recommend Tesco's own-brand heavy duty 'marigold type' gloves in black and yellow at this point?

Black on the outside and yellow if you turn them inside out!

They're £1.98 a pair, are very sensitive compared to full gauntlets....and most importantly bee stings can't get through!

Well there certainly is no laying queen at present. I had a look through today. No eggs, no brood. They have put pollen and a bit of honey in. These bees seem to have a rather original way of drawing out foundation. They obviously don't like to be constrained by straight lines and there were some interesting wax sculptures.
And one little bee found the tiny tear in the palm of of my marigold glove. It is a horriblle feeling to feel the bee inside the glove and you know whats coming - and it damn well hurt.

 

[Geoff]

Might try those. I tore these when I was trying to get the swarm out of a fallen tree.

 

[Hombre]

I might recommend that you definitely wear them inside out unless you want a lot of bees on your hands testing the consistency of the black material, trying to get at you.

Yesterday after inspecting bees with my mentor, we traveled 40 miles home and I in turn returned home, another 20 minute journey. I sat down to my tea and felt that tickle in the arm of my fleece (cold day). Sad to say mine was the first strike. If I had felt confident that she wouldn't actually sting, then I would have been content to have my wee long distance passenger up my sleeve.