Queen sellers

[Poly Hive]

Are we talking Gormanston by any chance?

PH

 

[keith pierce]

Yes

 

[Hivemaker.]

Nothing like having a bit of everything at these type of demonstrations/conferences.......wonder they did not inspect or have them inspected (if they don't know what to look for) prior to using them for demonstation purposes.....especially at a big event such as this.

 

[Midland Beek]

They were only discovered to have EFB when a bee inspector at the conference happened to have a look.

Excellent.

 

[Norton]

I saw some AMM stock in Ireland last week with EFB.

Typical for AMM type of bees - they have an inherent susceptibility to brood diseases.
Best regards
Norton

 

[gavin]

Not true. I had some Buckfast last summer and they were very susceptible to chalkbrood. Others have told me that the EFB outbreak in this area was affecting Buckfast more than some other types. And going back a few decades there were investigations by the bee advisors then of stocks that appeared to be resisting AFB.

Each race or strain has the traits people want - if you select for them you will improve the stock. Buckfast are often hygienic (as in, they clean out brood with problems) but that isn't enough for some brood diseases.

 

[Hivemaker.]

I don't really believe it makes a bit of difference regards brood disease what breed of bee it is,there will be some more susceptible or resistant to these diseases within all the different breeds.

 

[FROGDOGDIVER]

Buckfast bees are bred in Ireland - you don't need to import them.

Not in Northern Ireland to my knowledge. But definately not where I live. The place I know of in the republic that breeds buckfast is about the same distance from London to Edinburgh away from me. No danger of them polluting my breeding stock



While it's true problems with temper and swarming is quite common with AMM crosses, and is a good reason for everyone in your area to have the same type of bee, it's not keeping the diseases away.
I saw some AMM stock in Ireland last week with EFB.

Stopping any imports might keep new diseases away if that's what you mean.

Im not saying AMM do not get diseases. We are an island the same as the mainland is but varroa is not native to here neither is Nosema Ceranae or small hive beetle or tropilaelaps... I could go on but you get the point. We didnt have resistant mites either but I know that there have been bees from resistant areas in the mainland UK imported to the Republic of Ireland so they are in the republic as to Northern Ireland its a matter of when. I am aware that the colonies at Gormanston were found to have EFB and that they were AMM bees. But the fact that most of that part of the country stock AMM it was a safe bet to say that it would be that strain.

 

[FROGDOGDIVER]

I would love to have AMM bees, but here everyone just about has anything and everything so no chance of keeping them pure (without AI) even if I could get some. We do have a small group in Cornwall who are working to get back to as close to AMM as pos tho:.)
I suggest while you've got local bees, work to keep them:.) and keep out the imports.

I was working with a small group of local beekeepers this year to try and graft and rear a small number of good natured AMM queens from selected stock. Breeding your own is the way people are going but not made easy with rogue drones. I had nice calm bees but one colony did a late supercedure last year. They turned into kamikaze suicide machines. Three weeks ago I didnt even get the crown board off and I was covered with a good few hundred bees and took 20 odd stings. Compare this to my other colonies that most of the time can be handled with no smoke. Needless to say that colony has been split into nucs each with a newly mated queen in an apiary with drones that are AMM and part of a breeding program

 

[Norton]

http://www.irishbeekeeping4you.info/index.html

 

[Norton]

here is another one:
http://www.beekeeping.ie/

an appropriate caption might be "Oh bloody hell Paddy"

 

[keith pierce]

Same person in both of them