Hi ITLD
I have a great deal of respect for you coming onto the forum, and your login is very apt!
welcome to the forum, by the way!
I understand what you are trying to achieve, and hope the results will be a gentle bee and does well for education. I also hope the concerns of members of the forum (including myself) are unfounded.
Once you have your 400 (?) colony's set up at Down Ampney, how will you be preventing their swarming instict? Are you planning on building further colony's, or are you going to be selling NUC's, or destroying them?
Obviously, the bees are going to want to breed... Last year swarming in the area was exceptional. After a warm couple of weeks in April came a very cold May. Then came a hot morning and all the colony's swarmed after being unable to inspect due to the weather being too cold. This happen to numerous people I know, and would have no idea how you would prevent it.
I do not have enough experience of whether what you are doing is a bad thing. I can only see by the press and educational programs that whenever bees are shipped around the world, problems are also shipped around the world (Varroa, SHB, AFB, EFB Israeli disease etc etc). Of course the press brings the worst out in people.
I am not impressed with the CO-OP and their British Black Bee project and their ethics. How can they possibly bee supporting the import of foreign bees AND promoting the British Black Bee.
It would be like Nick Griffin hiring Polish Migrants to deliver BNP leaflets. (no offence to either the BNP or the Polish!)
I DO understand though you are with the CO-OP by association and not making their policies.
As a concerned local, I would be very happy to be invited to the farm to see what you are doing. I am sure other locals on the forum would also be interested in an invite, and not just those in the totalitarian BBKA..
I would also be very happy to challenge your swarm control with the use of a few trees on the perimeter of the farm.
... I am afraid I would have to requeen, and\or pass her back to you though...
Thanks
Pete