More package bees from Easybee

[mikethebee]

We will have a few more package bees and queens for sale after the 12 JUNE they have been very successful and we will be doing them again next year to orders.
Packages consist of 3half pound bees and queen; see the boys filling up the brood box on site, read the reviews.
video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciIdaUprB6s

all the best mike www.easybeeproducts.co.uk
__________________
all the best mike

 

[mikethebee]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kHrhoXFkwk

 

[Loubee]

Hi Mikethebee,
I've got my hive sited, but my nuc of 5 frames was postponed from May to mid-June and postponed again now until the end of July. I don't feel that the end of July is viable really, as they won't be able to form a strong colony before the queen slows down and where I am they will have to be hardy over winter.
I wondered about buying a swarm lure since I've got the hive and kit ready to roll, but, as a newbee, would rather start with a more reliable 5 frame nucleus. What do you think?
If you do have bees, would they be ready in June and if yes, could I order some for my empty national hive?
Regards
Loubee.

 

[Poly Hive]

Loubee August, September and October will see your nuc into a full blown colony for winter. These bees move. Fast.

You are safe enough.

PH

 

[gavin]

Hi PolyHive

Isn't it spring only when Carnolians build explosively? Apparently they shut down early, so a late nuc might not do so well. See this below from the BIBBA website.

all the best

Gavin

Apis mellifera carnica

The Carniolan bee of Slovenia and Austria is the nearest relative of the Italian, but it is larger and darker, the characteristic yellow rings of Ligustica being replaced by dark bands. The Carnica territory covers a large area of south-eastern Europe, and there are numerous regional variations. The characteristic brood rhythm is a rapid build-up in Spring, followed by a slow decline and an early cessation of brood rearing in the Autumn. It is particularly suited to an early Spring honey flow. Like A. m. mellifera it can survive hard Winters with a small winter cluster.

Carniolan bees are said to be more prone to swarming than Italian bees, but that this tendency can be reduced by selective breeding. In recent years selective breeding has also been used with great effect in both Austria and Germany to improve the productivity of the bees.

A. m. carnica are reputed to have better homing ability than any of the other major races, and are much less prone to drifting (and presumably to robbing). They are sparing in the use of propolis.

Carniolan bees have a well deserved reputation for gentleness and quietness on the comb, but their hybrids with both Mellifera and Ligustica are said to be particularly vicious.

 

[Geoff]

Well mine didn't shut down early. They swarmed in September last year which was a bit of a suprise to say the least. If there is food then they lay like the clappers. I was advised to feed late on to encourage new bees to be born ready for winter and that was the result. I don't think I am going to try that again! Also with Carniolans I think you can have a problem using Apiguard in August. Round here there is a still a lot of nectar coming in and if you take off the supers then they will just feel crowded and they don't like that at all.
To my mind the BIBBA web site isn't doing them justice at all. They are not just suited to rapid spring build up they have a reputation for being able to respond quickly to any flow.
If Loubee can get them this month then they would be fine. Personally I think they need more space than a National and I am going to transfer mine to Commercials from the present frames. I think Loubee could consider either brood and a half or double brood boxes. I think it gives you more time before they grow crowded and if we get the summer we deserve they will soon fill a National.
You cannot believe how gentle they are. I collected a swarm and I could have done it without a bee suit I think. The wax cappings they produce is a glistening white. Also very house proud. I hived two of Mike's nukes on Thursday and one colony within two minutes of going in were out the front clearing out a few dead bees. I cannot look inside until tomorrow. Mike told me to wait 4 or 5 days to check if the queens were out of their cages and then only to peep in.

 

[Poly Hive]

And that's you told Gavin.

I am not too sure what axe you are trying to grind but the sparks seem to keep igniting the straw you are standing in. Might be a plan to give over hmm?

I personally am still trying to source AMM to get back to where I feel comfortable, but as I have posted before sourcing them is proving far more difficult than I anticipated.

I am still on the trail though.

PH

 

[gavin]

Thanks Geoff - I'm only going by what I've read on the qualities of the different strains and I'm glad that someone with personal experience has chipped in. And PH, people learn by taking part in - and watching - debate, where different views are not just allowed but encouraged to be aired. That is what fora like this should be all about - debate. It seemed to me that your statement that they will build well in autumn was unjustified, but I'm happy to be corrected on that if folk's experience contradicts BIBBA's comments on Carnolians.

all the best

Gavin

 

[Poly Hive]

Well there you are Gavin.

It still seems to me that there is an agenda about.

Any post involving Mike and you pop up. Like to explain why? I have no interest other than fair play.

PH

 

[mikethebee]

I admit we have had problems with posting out nucs AGAIN this year, we had 15 nucs of bees returned dead in transit meltdown too hot nucs collapsed in heat and bad handling, The delivery vans are like ovens
NO further deliveries until change in weather.
As it was raining weekend and cooler,we sent out 50 today All imported Queens were late this year as well.

You can pick up if you ring up 07971 806670 give your collecting date and time and get booked in if not be prepared to wait or ask for your money back and I will gladly refund.
this has been posted on the forum before.

WARNING the land line has been down since Friday? So ring mobile 07971 806670 to book your pick up days
Anyone wanna buy-manage-rent-run a bee business

 

[oakwell_1]

Best to stick to facts rather then prevaricating / Copy and pasting what you read in text books and journals.

Mike's products [which I've bought this year are fine, doing well LouBee you won't be disappointed] .... what is the alternative supply? there isn’t many others?

Best of luck Loubee if you decide to purchase for Mike or whoever.!

 

[Poly Hive]

I supered today the first two packages from Mike, the remaining three are not far behind. They are now expanding pretty fast.

I personally if I was looking for more bees would be happy to buy more from Mike and at this time as there is the rest of the summer to put into winter a good strong colony.

PH

 

[oakwell_1]

yes I supered 3 three weeks ago and remaining packages this weekend ... hope the good weather continues.

 

[rae]

Well we bought one of Mike's nucs in June this year. Mrs rae went down to the yard to collect it so that we avoided all of the problems with baking delivery vans. We hived them at the end of June, and although the nuc looked a bit small, they have rapidly grown into a heaving colony, with a brood box full of brood, and we put on the second super this weekend. They're good tempered bees, you can sit next to the hive and watch them flying, no problems.

So, having hived those, we went on holiday for two weeks. Imagine our surprise when we got a call from Royal Mail, with the driver saying "where do you want the bees?" Bees?!? We got the driver to drop them at the back of the house, and persuaded the father in law to open up the box. They flew out of the nuc box for a week, then we came back and had an emergency visit to Thornes, followed by a frantic morning of hive building. The bees were as grumpy as hell to start with, but they have calmed down now that they are properly homed. The first super will be going on next week-end, they have also expanded well, though are a month behind the first colony.

So, Mike sells good bees (!), and seems to do "buy one, get one free "if you are lucky. (Mike - you haven't responded to our email if you read this.....)

 

[BKF Admin]

Mike - you haven't responded to our email if you read this.....

I expect he has shot himself at the thought of giving something away

 

[JCBrum]

Send him a bottle of Scotch as a Thank-you.

 

[Stiffy]

'Carniolan bees have a well deserved reputation for gentleness and quietness on the comb, but their hybrids with both Mellifera and Ligustica are said to be particularly vicious'

I have a hive of Carnoilian bees which are like 'pussy cats'. Being a newbie is it true that when crossed with Mellifera or Ligustica they turn into monsters?
I find it hard to believe that by crossing 2 relatively quiet strains you would end with a 'Mugabe or Nazi' strain of bee but stand to be corrected by the experience of others.

What do other Beeks do when they need to raise a queen from Carnolians, kevlar gloves and suit??????
Cheers
Stiffy

 

[hedgerow pete]

firstly just to prevnt the house being burnt down, you dont get bad or aggresive bees from mike he wont allow it to happen, as for breeding and cross breeding you have yet to see the full force of an angry hive i personal have burnt several hives over the years because it was safer to just petrol bomb them than try to requeen

you have to sorts of angry bee breeds
1 the queen is a bad one , in this case if you requeen there will be a massive change in bee temper in a several days ,
2 the colony is angry in this case if you can requeen and she lives you will still have to wait at least 30 days for the new bees to come through and proberly an other month past that

the worse ever type of bee i have ever delt with and this includes africanise honey bee or the smaller sarhara desert bee as it comes from thier in the first place was a set of 5 hives with a buckfast home breed queens they were by far the most evil and aggressive bee ever we tried four times to get to them each time driven back because of the sheer number of bees on the suits would eventualy give way somewhere and we would start to get stung, we ended up useing a full bnc suit off a friend and a 5 gallon barrel of petrol to solve there problems

 

[grizzly]

'Carniolan bees have a well deserved reputation for gentleness and quietness on the comb, but their hybrids with both Mellifera and Ligustica are said to be particularly vicious

I bought some June 2008, they were lovely to start with, got through last season, bit tetchy near autumn, but was generally pleased.

However - this spring (Admin can vouch for this) they turned into an absolute hive from hell, they have now been culled, along with all the splits and queens from this original Carni colony.

No other hives went this way, so it was purely this particular strain, its origin i never got to find out !!.

 

[hedgerow pete]

a story heard many times by me , this is why i dont like carni bees that and there swarming seams to get worse each season , more so with these newer f1 and f2 hybrids