I Wonder what caused this...

[Jenxy]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/wor...500-times-bees-invade-French-art-gallery.html

I hope the link works... What would have caused this??

 

[grizzly]

Perhaps the worm is turning.

Interesting story, i expect they failed to write about the most important facts which i expect were the triggers.

Killer bees syndrome.

 

[Nellie]

i expect they failed to write about the most important facts which i expect were the triggers.

Not accusing the Daily Hate...Mail of sloppy journalism in the interests of an exciting story?

These were not just foreign Bees, they were FRENCH bees, probably black ones at that!!1!one! and they stung not just British tourists but LADY British tourists. They'll be coming over here next, replacing our Bees, making twice as much honey in half the time, putting our bees out of job, taking the queens for themselves and attacking our decent British ladies into the bargain!.

Sorry, I think I had a reaction to their webpage.

 

[tkwinston4]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00kfwms

They had a short discussion about it on Radio 2 today. Its about 1hr 45mins in.

 

[Norton]

What would have caused this??

Probably French AMM

Best regards
Norton

 

[David P]

you wont get french bees over here anyway, they would stop at Calais and then go on strike in sympathy with the fishermen. Anyway you cant expect french bees to thrive, they have a history of chopping the heads off monarchy.

 

[Norton]

Nice one !
Norton

 

[hedgerow pete]

you lot want to try working with french black bees they are very angry at the best of times add to that a load of tourists waving there arms about and bingo we have a newspaper story

 

[David P]

Maybe the bees thought it was the bastille and the english tourists were royalists.

 

[Poly Hive]

The packages from France in the 50's were legendary for bad temper.

When I started some 30 years later they were still being talked about.

PH

 

[Busy Bee]

I bet it was her Chanel perfume!

Busy Bee

 

[Norton]

When I started some 30 years later they were still being talked about.

Obviously made their presence felt and left a lasting impression!
Seriously though I do think that the agressiveness we see today in "British" AMM probably comes from those French imports of AMM type of bee which are impossible to separate from the original British AMM ones.
Best regards
Norton
"Time is honey!"

 

[Poly Hive]

I think incidentally Norton you have pointed up the very way to distinguish between them.

The hot AMM were in some cases very bad indeed and I have only known one colony worse.

The good ones were really pretty quiet though I have to say not as quiet as say NZ strains.

On saying that the exotic queens I trialled in Aberdeenshire did not make honey and nor really a great deal of bees. The AMM however did very well and their cappings were lovely with a good air gap under the wax.

Is there still pure AMM in the UK? I believe so or there were until very recently in northern Scotland and I cannot see them vanishing in the last 10 years.

PH