Does anyone keep native black honey bees?

[Beefriendly]

One of those beekeeping myths..

Nope, experienced it myself with the local well adapted mongrels. Some would follow for a good half mile. In my case it was just one field.... depends on how close together the field boundaries are.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Perhaps with better bees they would get the same amount of honey from 1000 hives, making even less work.

You'd think so wouldn't you?

 

[REDWOOD]

I was at a conference on Thursday where the remit was to discuss the commercial viability of amm as far as bee farming goes. They didn't get very far with that as the speakers were not adept enough to steer away from diverging at tangents all the time. Some had a better stab than others. Chainbridge honey farms are reputed to run 2000 hives of amm and produce large quantities of heather comb honey. The main advantage according to the owner is that because they are happy in one box and don't swarm much you can leave them largely alone as far as inspections go. Less work.

Mmm probably a bit of bad beekeeping due to being a tad defensive

 

[For want of a better word]

Perhaps with better bees they would get the same amount of honey from 1000 hives, making even less work.

You must have FINNMAN on your blocked list... He says hone quantity per colony depends on the forage availability.

1000 colonies of Smiths, with the conditions in Northumberland, would make it very hard work if a non adapted hybrid was used.

I have been searching for a better bee that produces more honey for years

Nos da

 

[Swarm]

Can we not let this thread be ruined like all the others about amm, please?

Back to that last photo, could be something to do with angle of shot but the dark bee seems to have a rounder abdomen? It also has sufficient brownish thorax hair, or is it my eyes?
A photo of the bees on a comb would be useful to see, later on of course.

 

[Beefriendly]

You must have FINNMAN on your blocked list... He says hone quantity per colony depends on the forage availability.

It would seem it is you who should read his posts more carefully...
Not only does he say pasture is important but he mentions if you want large yields you do not use local mongrels, you need large colonies of bees (something I concur with) and you need some decent weather

 

[Beefriendly]

Back to that last photo, could be something to do with angle of shot but the dark bee seems to have a rounder abdomen? It also has sufficient brownish thorax hair, or is it my eyes?
A photo of the bees on a comb would be useful to see, later on of course.

Come the season I'll shoot some close up pictures of my Irish Amm's (approx 96% Amm) and post them on here.
I particularly want to take some of their archetypal brood nest pattern, which is stunning to look at with the oval of brood surrounded by a circle of pollen and then a circle of stores. My Buckfast just do wall to wall brood in each frame which is pretty boring to look at.

 

[Finman]

Nope, experienced it myself with the local well adapted mongrels. Some would follow for a good half mile. In my case it was just one field.... depends on how close together the field boundaries are.

What do you do then if there is a text: Tresspassers wil be prosecuted..


When I had black bees, I always looked that most tight willow bush where to go through befiore I open the hive.

 

[Erichalfbee]

It would seem it is you who should read his posts more carefully...
Not only does he say pasture is important but he mentions if you want large yields you do not use local mongrels, you need large colonies of bees (something I concur with) and you need some decent weather

Perhaps local mongrels are the only ones that will go out to forage heather in indecent weather; the difference between some crop and no crop at all?

 

[For want of a better word]

Can we not let this thread be ruined like all the others about amm, please?

Yeghes da

 

[Finman]

Yeghes da

There are twice a month black bee chain, but they are all ruined.
I have not met any Italian bee chain during last 10 years.

 

[Eyeman]

Chainbridge honey farms are reputed to run 2000 hives of amm and produce large quantities of heather comb honey. The main advantage according to the owner is that because they are happy in one box and don't swarm much you can leave them largely alone as far as inspections go. Less work.

Just come back from a talk by the man himself, Willy Robson. My sort of beekeeper
1. sustainable local stock, doesn't buy bees in to restock.
2. Minimal interference with the colonies, done away with taking frames out to inspect now just tilts and looks underneath - agrees that only 90% successful in identifying QC's.
3. Doesn't feed his colonies as part of his winter prep as they come back from the heather fully loaded,

Lots of funny anecdotes and oodles of personal experience.

 

[Erichalfbee]

just tilts and looks underneath - agrees that only 90% successful in identifying QC's.

Isn't that what most commercial guys do?
Works with any bee and any double box system.

Nice chap and his talk was entertaining and illuminating

 

[Quis Custodiet]

Perhaps local mongrels are the only ones that will go out to forage heather in indecent weather; the difference between some crop and no crop at all?

Buckfast bees thrive in the Baltic Islands, the weather conditions there are worse than in Northumberland. It is well worth visiting these island mating stations, if one can.

 

[mbc]

Buckfast bees thrive in the Baltic Islands, the weather conditions there are worse than in Northumberland. It is well worth visiting these island mating stations, if one can.

The same baltic islands where the drone producing colonies are continuously fed syrup and pollen?

 

[SDM]

The same baltic islands where the drone producing colonies are continuously fed syrup and pollen?

Not bad practice for drone rearing,. They're chosen for their isolation not the forage. Not much mating would get done if they weren't suited climatically.

 

[For want of a better word]

Not bad practice for drone rearing,. They're chosen for their isolation not the forage. Not much mating would get done if they weren't suited climatically.

Seen some... almost all seem to be devoid of any forage... often wondered how " isolated" some of the islands are in reality?

Our drone flooding colonies ( in an isolated valley) are constantly fed 1 :1 sugar syrup ( Thanks to TESCO) during the mating season, We also bring in capped drone frames from out apiaries where we have good quality breeder queens.

[Now 6 - 10 separate sites throughout Cornwall]
System seems to work quite well.

It seems that the Amm apiary vicinity mate..... still to find that illusive DCA... perhaps this summer?

Yeghes da

 

[mbc]

Not bad practice for drone rearing,. They're chosen for their isolation not the forage. Not much mating would get done if they weren't suited climatically.

Agreed, my point was more that the "thriving" description should have been qualified.

 

[user 6228]

Buckfast bees thrive in the Baltic Islands, the weather conditions there are worse than in Northumberland. It is well worth visiting these island mating stations, if one can.

depends on the definition of weather... min or max temperature, rate of heat loss, hours of sunshine...

for example in winter you lose less heat in the Alps than in Snowdonia
and Helsinki has a lot more hours of sunshine per year than Manchester in summer and spring

 

[SDM]

Considering Buckfast are a little over 50% Amm ie. A little more British than the average British mongrel. Arguing that they are not suited climatically is going to be a challenge for the most dedicated Amm devotee.