Do Amms live longer than any other species of honey bee

[Curly green fingers]

Popcorn has much air. IT makes to fart.

Very funny indeed . I'm laughing on the inside and out .
This forum does make me laugh on the odd occasion
Cheers ..

 

[Finno]

Only one way to settle this - pistols at dawn

 

[Swarm]

I know who to ask then for nucs and maybe new queen's
That's some sort of supers swarm fair play .
Do you sell any of your stock?

She is a wonderful Welsh native from Ceredigion. Beautiful, productive, busy bees and the daughter colony is following suit. I'll see how things are in Spring before deciding but there are two colonies I had plans for and any further splits, later on.
I won't go another generation just yet, there are a few banded workers so I requeen after F1. The drones still add their bit.

 

[oxnatbees]

At a meeting a few weeks ago with our secutary of our association he was saying that amms live a third longer than any other honey bee.

Is this true. And has there been any real study to back this claim.
l.

I'm quite interested in Amm and have read extensively on them but I have not come across this fact before.

I suggest you ask bibba.org.uk , they are the experts on Amm in the British Isles.

Although I've never had a hive full of pure Amm, I observed the same differential behaviour between a feral swarm I hived and some Buckfasts in the next door hive. The Buckfasts huddled indoors in light rain and low-ish temperatures while the ferals flew. Eventually the hives hybridised and became quite defensive (Buckfast crosses can be quite nasty).

A local farmer with 80 hives now just uses local bees which he finds give consistent spightly higher honey crops than the Italians he used to use, even though they do not have a fancy name. 80% of beekeeping is "how good is their forage"

 

[B+.]

80% of beekeeping is "how good is their forage"

I would disagree with that.
If you put selected stock alongside mongrels on the same site (good, bad or indifferent) you will see the selected stock shine.

 

[SDM]

I'm quite interested in Amm and have read extensively on them but I have not come across this fact before.

I suggest you ask bibba.org.uk , they are the experts on Amm in the British Isles.

Although I've never had a hive full of pure Amm, I observed the same differential behaviour between a feral swarm I hived and some Buckfasts in the next door hive. The Buckfasts huddled indoors in light rain and low-ish temperatures while the ferals flew. Eventually the hives hybridised and became quite defensive (Buckfast crosses can be quite nasty).

A local farmer with 80 hives now just uses local bees which he finds give consistent spightly higher honey crops than the Italians he used to use, even though they do not have a fancy name. 80% of beekeeping is "how good is their forage"

I do have pure Amm and "pure" Buckfast from some of the best sources and i see no suchthing. The buckfasts are out earlier/later, colder, wetter and this year averaged slightly less than double the yield of the Amm colonies and the best Buckfast yielded 3 times the best Amm.
Where were your buckfast from ? Pure , f1 ?
One thing is sure, living where you do, your feral swarm wasnt likely to be anywhere near Amm.

 

[domino]

I would disagree with that.
If you put selected stock alongside mongrels on the same site (good, bad or indifferent) you will see the selected stock shine.

It is surprising when you visit someone who just does basic culling of bees they don't like how quickly the stock improves. My beekeeping buddy starting cutting out poor queens two years ago and the change in that apiary has been dramatic.

 

[Beefriendly]

I do have pure Amm and "pure" Buckfast from some of the best sources and i see no suchthing. The buckfasts are out earlier/later, colder, wetter and this year averaged slightly less than double the yield of the Amm colonies and the best Buckfast yielded 3 times the best Amm.
Where were your buckfast from ? Pure , f1 ?
One thing is sure, living where you do, your feral swarm wasnt likely to be anywhere near Amm.

Have seen almost identical results between pure Amm's and quality Buckfast queens hives. I do not keep Amm nor local mongrels any more.
People are deluding themselves if they think Amm's are the equivalent honey gatherers. In the future maybe, but not now.
They have been bred for purity not selected for their honey gathering prowess...although this might change.

 

[B+.]

Where were your buckfast from ? Pure , f1 ?

I think people often forget (or don't know) that although a queen can be pure, her diploid progeny (queens and workers) won't be. Her haploid progeny (drones) will be though. So, you can have a pure mellifera/carnica/ligustica/etc queen whose daughters are anything but. It depends on what they mate with.

 

[B+.]

It is surprising when you visit someone who just does basic culling of bees they don't like how quickly the stock improves. My beekeeping buddy starting cutting out poor queens two years ago and the change in that apiary has been dramatic.

You can improve the rearing of the queen this way but you are not affecting it's genetics at all.

 

[Finman]

pure Amm's and quality
They have been bred for purity not selected for their honey gathering prowess...although this might change.

When you buy pure amm queens, in next generation the hive will be half mongrel. A difficult job to continue. Same with Buckfast.


.

 

[B+.]

People are deluding themselves if they think Amm's are the equivalent honey gatherers. In the future maybe, but not now.
They have been bred for purity not selected for their honey gathering prowess...although this might change.

There is a project called "SmartBees" which use the same protocols that are used on other races, but on mellifera. In time, it may be that many of the same traits can be improved in mellifera.

 

[B+.]

When you buy pure amm queens, in next generation the hive will be half mongrel. A difficult job to continue. Same with Buckfast.
.

Unless the mating is controlled, I would agree with you. However, if they use selected breeding techniques, it is possible to maintain pure queens.

 

[For want of a better word]

Unless the mating is controlled, I would agree with you. However, if they use selected breeding techniques, it is possible to maintain pure queens.

Spot on!
Any one can improve their stock if they go with the above statement.
Chons da

 

[For want of a better word]

Have seen almost identical results between pure Amm's and quality Buckfast queens hives. I do not keep Amm nor local mongrels any more.
People are deluding themselves if they think Amm's are the equivalent honey gatherers. In the future maybe, but not now.
They have been bred for purity not selected for their honey gathering prowess...although this might change.

It can only be down to the type of bee best suited to the local climatic conditions and the type of forage available.

My Amm have shone through this season... but I have culled back on the stripeyness and sulkers!

Perhaps I should do the same with the yellow perils that have gobbled down the stores before I could get in there and steal it away!!!


Horses for courses and all that mallarkey!!!

Chons da

 

[B+.]

Spot on!
Any one can improve their stock if they go with the above statement.
Chons da

Well, it's not quite as simple as you make it sound....but, it can be done.

 

[For want of a better word]

Well, it's not quite as simple as you make it sound....but, it can be done.

Yes... but ( with the occasional assistance from thee and thy ilk...) some of us are getting there!!!

Chons da

 

[Finman]

Spot on!
Any one can improve their stock if they go with the above statement.
Chons da

Rubbish. Very few can do it. People have their own life, family, work and duties.
Anyone cannot become bee breeder and forget normal life. They are nig many who do it.

There are easier way to improve own apiary. Very few need insemination tools or mating isles.

Then to breed queens you need quite a big apiary and you need a expencive property, where to do everything. Bee breeding us not a business on the UK. A guy must warm his living before he can start to breed bees.

Keep on dreeming.
.

 

[beebopper]

Well, it's not quite as simple as you make it sound....but, it can be done.

Most certainly isn't that simple because most people do not have;

a. II set up
b. Isolated mating apiaries

So in fact almost impossible.

 

[beebopper]

Rubbish. Very few can do it. People have their own life, family, work and duties.
Anyone cannot become bee breeder and forget normal life. They are nig many who do it.

There are easier way to improve own apiary. Very few need insemination tools or mating isles.