Importation of bees

[Ian123]

As an aside on This Fishing Life... a program about Cornish Fishermen.... they said that brown crab from our waters was banned as an export to China due to high cadmium levels.... although more probably to do with the UKs critisism of China's dubious Human Rights. China was the biggest net importer of crabs from the UK

World has gone mad!

Yes I saw that, moan about them and they’ll hit you were it hurts. Rather partial to some crab myself I used to get them and lobster off the boats in littlehampton when I went fishing there. Maybe we could ban those plastic comb things for spacing frames, especially made for beeks with no fingers. That will make them pay

 

[Apple]

Yes I saw that, moan about them and they’ll hit you were it hurts. Rather partial to some crab myself I used to get them and lobster off the boats in littlehampton when I went fishing there. Maybe we could ban those plastic comb things for spacing frames, especially made for beeks with no fingers. That will make them pay

Eat too much lobster in the locality of the Arun and you run the risk of severe Itai-itai disease ... saying that... very rarely saw a lobster when scuba diving in that area!
Chons da

 

[mbc]

Meanwhile the bees are still a dream in a queen's ovaries...long time until they are even an egg...so there is abundant time to say 'stop' to the process and no bees ever need to be destroyed.

Brilliant, loving the prose.

 

[Mint Bee]

Eat too much lobster in the locality of the Arun and you run the risk of severe Itai-itai disease ... saying that... very rarely saw a lobster when scuba diving in that area!
Chons da

not just China

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-55903599

 

[Ian123]

I ate plenty of bass, bream lobster and crab never knowingly had an issue but it could explain a few things. The guys got plenty of lobsters in that area I think recently they may have dropped off, selsey boats do ok atm.

 

[Apple]

I ate plenty of bass, bream lobster and crab never knowingly had an issue but it could explain a few things. The guys got plenty of lobsters in that area I think recently they may have dropped off, selsey boats do ok atm.

There was one old lobster called Big Betty who lurked in the depths of the Mixon Hole..... I hope she is still there!
Chons da

 

[Parsonage Bees]

Its not even as sophisticated as that. The Christmas Eve agreement was no more than a political stunt with actually very little agreed. Net effect is that EU law in this matter simply rolled over into UK law. The EU is now a 'third country' so the bee import rules for third countries are now the UK position......so no packages or nucs or colonies on combs except for packages from NZ. Its not a bee health derived rule..its purely a matter of process and Brexit, and will eventually be replaced by new rules when an actual rather than ceremonial agreement is reached on bee matters.

Thanks for that explanation. There was me thinking this government had actually done something useful. Sorry, just a hobby beekeeper here but I wouldn't want to see this change. And why the heck are we shipping bees from the other side of the world.
. . .. Ben

 

[Erichalfbee]

And why the heck are we shipping bees from the other side of the world.
. . .. Ben

I don't think we are
It's like Catch 22

 

[Parsonage Bees]

I don't think we are
It's like Catch 22

Sounds like we have a trade deal or something. Anyway that's probably minor compared with colonies from EU.

 

[Ian123]

NZ queens and bees have been coming in for years and at the time EU had varroa and we didn’t it was 1 of the few places you could get queens from!

 

[Erichalfbee]

NZ queens and bees have been coming in for years and at the time EU had varroa and we didn’t it was 1 of the few places you could get queens from!

Thanks Ian
I never knew that.
So do we still import bees from NZ?

 

[Ian123]

Yes and have done for many years. There mainly those very yellow Italians. Although there’s a guy out there now I think it’s daykel apiaries with carniolans. I think park beekeeping sold them and also kbs in recent years. I acquired a couple of breeder queens back in the 80s the queens themselves produced bees so docile they could have been asleep and a little prone to chalk brood. The first cross(open mated F1)was rather good in comparison to local mongrels at the time. Quiet and productive and could survive a few colder winters in the south as Nucs. Rather prone to acarine though!

 

[ShinySideUp]

I have a question that I've never found a definitive answer to. Why do we import bees at all? My bees swarm quite happily and there is always an abundance of queen cells left over when her majesty has left. One of my hives in particular has shedloads of bees in the height of summer, biggest colony I've ever seen and requires four supers on just to have enough room for the bees themselves (and strangely has never swarmed). What is so special about Italian bees?

 

[Mint Bee]

I have a question that I've never found a definitive answer to. Why do we import bees at all? My bees swarm quite happily and there is always an abundance of queen cells left over when her majesty has left. One of my hives in particular has shedloads of bees in the height of summer, biggest colony I've ever seen and requires four supers on just to have enough room for the bees themselves (and strangely has never swarmed). What is so special about Italian bees?

Personal choice, supply and demand, profit, quick expansion / replacement and a whole number of other reasons
By your own admission your beekeeping style doesn't align with many others on this forum.
I'd say the same for your very poor attempt at humour

 

[Ian123]

Imports are there for many reasons and foremost for the average beek would be winter loss replacements. Obviously people importing in bulk can sell on as Nucs or queens. It’s the early availability that’s key. The UK has few large scale producers and a large hobbyist sector rarely even at peak summer does supply match demand. The vagaries of British weather also play a part although I think in all but the worst of summers this is over played certainly in southern parts. Also breeding stock the average uk beek has no idea on the scale depth of proper breeding groups and the work/organisation that goes into producing a breeder queen. We have few in the Uk that even come close. Many knock imports for poor wintering and in some cases that’s true but in many it’s not, it’s often just an excuse for poor beekeeping. Simple solution buy those that are better suited. Ian

 

[gmonag]

There seem to a lot of criteria for describing a beekeeper as a "poor beekeeper" - allowing swarming, low honey yields, poor overwintering etc. I would have thought that an inability to operate a sustainable apiary was right up there (i.e. not raising all their own queens and bees).

 

[Erichalfbee]

I'd say the same for your very poor attempt at humour

It’s ok. I fixed that.

 

[ShinySideUp]

What was wrong with that one? It's like walking on eggshells here. My wife is Italian, she thought it was funny.

 

[Apple]

What was wrong with that one? It's like walking on eggshells here. My wife is Italian, she thought it was funny.

Well I'm with you.... some grumpy ol beeks on here who lack any humour.... God when will the Vic open I'm up for a pint or three!!

 

[Ian123]

There seem to a lot of criteria for describing a beekeeper as a "poor beekeeper" - allowing swarming, low honey yields, poor overwintering etc. I would have thought that an inability to operate a sustainable apiary was right up there (i.e. not raising all their own queens and bees).

I agree with some of that but not even the best UK beek can raise queens in March I’ll start prepping then inserting drone combs. I have had some mate end of April before I’ve also had some not so good early results you can also look at the likes of Murray itld he’s probably 1 of the larger bee importers and uk queen rearers with his Jolanta set up. Are the you suggesting he’s not a good beek because he imports. Am not sure how many queens you’ve raised but I’ve reared a good few but I’ll buy them in and buy in breeders to rear my own how does that sit. Even the worst beeks can raise queens you simply drop the brood box on her, quality is another matter though!