More package bees from Easybee

[JCBrum]

but with all this anecdotal evidence keeping bees in urban sites is a great ida?
PH

Shay that agen ?

Do you mean it is ? or it isn't ?

 

[Stiffy]

Not attempting to beat the drum here but with all this anecdotal evidence keeping bees in urban sites is a great ida?

PH

Regarding keeping bees in urban sites, I guess you are referring to the potential outbreak of new Beehaus owners and potential problems? If as I have been advised the crossing of Carniolians with virtually any other strain of bee produces little monsters then there is a definite case for not encouraging the introduction of this strain of bee to inexperienced hands.

As a new beek I was told and several sellers advertise that Carnoilians are very easy to keep, this information now seems to be flawed. Maybe they are easy to keep for the first year or so but at some point (after 2 months for me) there is a need to re-queen and with their propensity to swarm, control, split and breed a new queen.
I would imagine that Egloo will be looking to importers of queens to provide the bees required for the Beehaus and most (I believe) import Carnolians. This situation if left to its own devises could end with serious problems for the bee keeping world, collection of bad tempered swarms or even worse.

Again as a new beek I may have this completely wrong but as an Ecologist I do see the consequences of ill thought, if well meaning tampering with nature.

I have also heard that there are attempts to breed a strain of bee that will hygienically deal with varroa i.e. attack the mite. The breeding of a strain of bee that will attack an invasive parasite could also be potentially dangerous.....after all we are not seen as part of the colony but an invasive predator that can just be tolerated.



Cheers
Stiffy

 

[Poly Hive]

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2066&page=3

Then go back to the begining and read through.

I am very wary of bees in gardens for many reasons and when I taught classes I made the point that inadvertently I had two dogs dead from my manipulations.

I now also have a very badly stung ex neighbour.

And I know what I am doing.

So carry on, discuss the entire wisdom of having bees that can get very aggressive in an urban environment, of what ever strain/hive/temperment.

PH (realist)

 

[OXFORDBEE]

Quite agree with Polyhive .... Bees and small urban gardens are a potentially explosive mix ....

 

[Crg]

So carry on, discuss the entire wisdom of having bees that can get very aggressive in an urban environment, of what ever strain/hive/temperment.

PH (realist)

I've always kept bees in an urban environment and I've yet to have a problem.

The Auckland beekeeping club taught that you should always work your bees in a t-shirt - that way you'll find out your bees aren't suitable before your neighbours do.

 

[OXFORDBEE]

You should always work your bees in a t-shirt

Which is a good policy and actively encourages beekeepers to learn how to manage/read/respect thier bees! This is how I leant to manage bees when young, wearing a t-shirt and shorts.

 

[hedgerow pete]

i have and do occasionaly keep a nuc at home but its not often at the allotment there is more room for them and my neighbours,

dont forget when the revolution comes and we as bee keeprs are spat at in the street because there was so many poorly informed people buying poor quality stocks that swarm and interbreed to evil bees and we as bee keepers have to wear a ball and chain around our necks, herertic?? or do i for see the future

carni bees are the most plasid of all the bee types thats a fact , but if they are cross breed by accident or illinformed breeding they will easily out fight a novice beek, swarm several times during the spring alone let alone the whole year, there fortitude of stock breeding can be you down fall, expanding so fast that you are unable to controll them safely, sorry but as you can see i rember the late 70's boom and the early 80's aggro and what i went through to be able to keep bees, since then i have never liked or wanted to keep carni's, silly old fart i might be but i like my old european blacks, just like me slow to start but after a while we get there in the end also my sort of prefferd bee would have to be predictable not explosive