Italian Bees

[Antipodes]

Does anyone on the forum keep Italian bees?

I bought some last year from a good breeder to introduce a change in genetics, mainly due to chalkbrood with my mongrel bees.

So far I've noticed that they have built up well, seemed to have many more drones in late Autumn than the mongrel hives did and no chalkbrood so far. They also seem very docile.

I'm wondering if anyone has any tips for this type of bee, particularly if they have noticed anything about their draw-down on food reserves ....I have read that it might be a problem but would appreciate please hearing of anyone's experience with them?

My climate is probably more like South East England than elsewhere in the UK.

Thanks

 

[coffindodger]

Had a colony a few years ago. Lovely to handle. They starved despite having lots of stores and feeding. they didn't seem able to move easily (esp sideways) to feed and there were bees head down in a cell with stores one cell away. Not sure about in-hive temperatures, but the boxes were protected and insulation in the top. Buckfasts one metre away were fine. Very sad feeling.

 

[For want of a better word]

I had some a few years back when we moved to the South Hams from Surrey.
I wanted a bee adapted to the local conditions and purchased a few nucs from a beekeeper who had brought in bees from New Zealand. He said they were Italian bees.

Very fucund... tendancy to starve in June. Produced a reasonable amount of honey if there was a good flow.
Did not overwinter very well ( in cedar hives)
Easy to handle and never followed!

Have selectively bred from the original stock, but have allowed them to dwindle away as I have found the local Cornish Amm to be more fit for purpose in our location.

 

[Ian123]

Back in the early 80s when i started a local couple had the Nz Italians mentioned above I sourced some breeders from the supplier. The breeders themselves where incredible to handle but failed to really build. They also suffered from a little chalk brood with a tendency to be susceptible to Acarin. The first cross was a good bee and could really produce some big crops the tendency to chalk brood was in the majority of cases removed, but they still remained prone to acarin. As to wintering I never had an issue and was wintering nucs in wooden boxes. There’s plenty of Italians been used in northern climes with harsh winters for years and far colder than we get here. As to stores consumption big colonies produce big crops, however if conditions turn the household still needs food so horses for courses.

 

[For want of a better word]

Back in the early 80s when i started a local couple had the Nz Italians mentioned above I sourced some breeders from the supplier. The breeders themselves where incredible to handle but failed to really build. They also suffered from a little chalk brood with a tendency to be susceptible to Acarin. The first cross was a good bee and could really produce some big crops the tendency to chalk brood was in the majority of cases removed, but they still remained prone to acarin. As to wintering I never had an issue and was wintering nucs in wooden boxes. There’s plenty of Italians been used in northern climes with harsh winters for years and far colder than we get here. As to stores consumption big colonies produce big crops, however if conditions turn the household still needs food so horses for courses.

What ever happened to Acarin???... never hear of it now... even in the Isle of Man where they do not have Varroa ( Because they had the good sense to ban imports of bees and hive related products)

 

[Ian123]

It’s a mite....varroa treatments maybe much the same baraula

 

[Antipodes]

Thanks all for the tips. I'll keep a close eye on stores....

 

[B+.]

Does anyone on the forum keep Italian bees?

I bought some last year from a good breeder to introduce a change in genetics, mainly due to chalkbrood with my mongrel bees.

So far I've noticed that they have built up well, seemed to have many more drones in late Autumn than the mongrel hives did and no chalkbrood so far. They also seem very docile.

I'm wondering if anyone has any tips for this type of bee, particularly if they have noticed anything about their draw-down on food reserves ....I have read that it might be a problem but would appreciate please hearing of anyone's experience with them?

My climate is probably more like South East England than elsewhere in the UK.

Thanks

You should probably speak to Finman. I understand that Italian bees are commonly used in Finland (although, obviously, your weather will be different).

 

[Antipodes]

Thanks B+, yes.

I thought they would be reasonably popular in warmer areas of the UK too, but I suspect that you have more choice there to select perhaps better strains of bee.