Front Cover of Welsh Beekeeper

[Show me the honey]

If you have gentle, productive, disease resistant bees just appearing locally , then you can thank someone for it. They don't happen by accident just by virtue of being local.

Okay cool I’ve had 2 queens in 2 areas mate well. If I ever find out who they I’ll thank them

 

[SDM]

I've had this debate on my local association Facebook page recently. I was challenged to provide evidence of how nice they are so they got a video of me in a t-shirt stripping 5 boxes of bees, shaking bees off the majority off frames to uncap stores in the brood boxes. A few have now asked to come see for themselves.
Honestly I doubt their intentions/open mindedness, they're too indoctrinated, but there's no harm in letting them see the apiaries I've decided to let them into.

 

[mbc]

The grass is always going to be greener for some, and they tend to be the so and so's who aren't concerned about the selfishness of messing up the drone population around them for others trying to keep native bees in their area, then they spout loudly everywhere they can trying to justify their selfishly motivated actions. Never mind, given a generation or two when they've moved on the bees in their areas will again reach an equilibrium given that not too many follow in their footsteps.

 

[BMH]

The grass is always going to be greener for some, and they tend to be the so and so's who aren't concerned about the selfishness of messing up the drone population around them for others trying to keep native bees in their area, then they spout loudly everywhere they can trying to justify their selfishly motivated actions. Never mind, given a generation or two when they've moved on the bees in their areas will again reach an equilibrium given that not too many follow in their footsteps.

Spout loudly without justification?

Isn't that exactly what's happened here?

front page of the WBKA magazine. Zero attempt at justification

Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk

 

[madasafish]

I’m new to beekeeping and know little about genetics and history so sorry for my ignorance, but if everyone kept local bees and bred from the best of them wouldn’t they become as good as any other bee? Or have I massively simplified an issue? I use local bees mainly because they are gentle and produce honey so why pay for a queen. But for me it’s a hobby and also what seems like a good crop to me could be pitiful to commercial keepers

1."f everyone kept local bees and bred from the best of them wouldn’t they become as good as any other bee?"

Well yes.. The issues are: bee queens mate with up to 20 drones.. so passing the genes on from the drones'mothers.. If your local bees are calm with other desirable characteristics, then the offspring will likely be nice. If they are largely horrible, then you are wasting your time : unless most other beekeepers do the same as you do: culling the bad and breeding from the good. With the rise in the number of beekeepers most of whom have less than 5 years experience and 3-4 hives, no chance of that.

2. "I use local bees mainly because they are gentle and produce honey so why pay for a queen.
"

Well yes. My local bees are swarmy, aggressive and poor producers.. Most local beekeepers - within a 2 mile radius - are new.. so buy bees.

If I had another 20 years of beekeeping left, I might try to persuade everyone local to participate in bee raising etc. There is zero chance of that happening - I have at best 10 years. (age)

To change the local population requires LOTS of hives...all participating..and flooding the area with nice bees and especially nice drones.

It took the Germans about 50 years of concerted nationwide effort to get their local bees nice. They gave up on the European local bee as it was horrible and adopted Carnica.. Pictures of people keeping bees without veils...

As the BBKA cannot agree on what is a Native UK bee, the chances of achieving anything within the next 20 years are virtually zero... (Do we choose Cornish bees, Welsh bees etc to breed from?)

The policy is rather like Brexit but rather worse managed...

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Just shows the insecurity of the Buckfast bullies and Carnica cheerleaders really, one mention of locally adapded bees and they are straight in with the smears and attacks.
Seldom see the AMM Taliban react with quite so much venom.

 

[Beefriendly]

LOL. I did say the exact same thing as I read it!

That's why I said Shhhhhhhh....

 

[BMH]

Just shows the insecurity of the Buckfast bullies and Carnica cheerleaders really, one mention of locally adapded bees and they are straight in with the smears and attacks.
Seldom see the AMM Taliban react with quite so much venom.

The BB and CC's dont have the ability to publish the information on such a dramatic scale, which influences the decisions of new beekeepers across the country.

I just find it amusing its slapped on the front cover, with no mention of it anywhere else within the publication

 

[BMH]

That's why I said Shhhhhhhh....

Ok. Sorry.

Black bees rule!

 

[Griffo]

In the back of the same magazine there is an ad from a supplier of bees in Gloucestershire. Not exactly local.

 

[BMH]

In the back of the same magazine there is an ad from a supplier of bees in Gloucestershire. Not exactly local.

Haha! Amazing - true irony!

 

[beebopper]

Shhhhhhh....Honey prices are already falling this year....don't encourage them....local bees rule OK!!! [BIG wry grin]

That’s right and buckfast f2 are always aggressive.

 

[beebopper]

In the back of the same magazine there is an ad from a supplier of bees in Gloucestershire. Not exactly local.

Well you just have to laugh don’t ya!

 

[beebopper]

Just shows the insecurity of the Buckfast bullies and Carnica cheerleaders really, one mention of locally adapded bees and they are straight in with the smears and attacks.
Seldom see the AMM Taliban react with quite so much venom.

Well yes and no. There is just as many local Taliban.

In the end of the day it all depends what area you are in and what your objectives are. One things for sure there are no local “native Kent” bees to be had (as far as I know).

 

[mbc]

Spout loudly without justification?

Isn't that exactly what's happened here?

front page of the WBKA magazine. Zero attempt at justification

Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk

The wbka is an umbrella for its constituent associations, all of which are individually representative of their members, the vast majority of whom are against importing bees, this I believe is a documented fact. What more justification should the mouthpiece of the wbka have for representing this watered down recommendation on the front of their magazine?
I suppose it should bow to the few who import directly and believe they're above the common herd in your opinion, or the pressure from defra to keep open borders to Europe or succumb to the lobbyingof the very few who make a living importing bees, how wicked of the wbka to actually try and be representative of the majority of its membership, they must have a trolling Taliban agenda or somesuch.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

In the back of the same magazine there is an ad from a supplier of bees in Gloucestershire. Not exactly local.

It is for a lot of our members

 

[mbc]

Itr is for a lot of our members

Good point

 

[Beefriendly]

Black bees rule!

Spot on..Long may their owners cherish and cosset them.
I currently have a (surplus to my own yearly needs) of around 5-600lbs of this years spring honey spare. Any takers at 3lb's a lb?

 

[Swarm]

The wbka is an umbrella for its constituent associations, all of which are individually representative of their members, the vast majority of whom are against importing bees, this I believe is a documented fact. What more justification should the mouthpiece of the wbka have for representing this watered down recommendation on the front of their magazine?
I suppose it should bow to the few who import directly and believe they're above the common herd in your opinion, or the pressure from defra to keep open borders to Europe or succumb to the lobbyingof the very few who make a living importing bees, how wicked of the wbka to actually try and be representative of the majority of its membership, they must have a trolling Taliban agenda or somesuch.

 

[Hachi]

How do you suppose you can achieve anything Bee related when you have those who feel disease and mite control is contrary to natural selection? Was lectured on it last weekend by someone who has a really nasty hive that they're too scared to go near, thinks [hopes] its superseded and this will sort it out and doesn't treat their bees.

With this kind of keeper of bees there is no chance of agreeing to anything. Or indeed, improving anything!!!