Robert Russell (Russell Apiaries) Arrested.

[sugarbush]

Owner of the world renowned bee breeder "Russell Apiaries" Robert Lee Russell PHD. has been arrested and charged with fraud. He was initially stopped on a traffic violation but has been charged with Fraud in relation to his activity as a beekeeper. Russell Apiaries was one of the few breeders of Buckfasts in the USA. His father Julius Russell developed several lines of honey bees as well as propagated the Buckfasts, on retirement his son Robert Russell took over operations. He has had problems delivering on orders in the last few years and the current charges are in relation to his failure to refund money to customers when he could not deliver the goods. Many now suspect that the bees he claimed to be breeding and selling were not what he claimed them to be.

I don't want to violate forum rules by posting links, but you can read about it on some American bee forum.

 

[Hivemaker.]

I don't want to violate forum rules by posting links, but you can read about it on some American bee forum.

Hi SB, been reading about this on Beesource over the last few months, a lot of very angry beekeepers over there, about this issue with RR.

 

[sugarbush]

It is unfortunate that he exploited people with the reputation his father built. I haven't ever had any business dealings with him personally, but there are a lot of people across the country who did... Apparently he had a whole group of "employees" who didn't really exist. He would simply reply to emails and sign them with various names.

It means that unless beekeepers brought their Buckfasts in From Canada, they can not trust that what the received from Russell were Buckfast. It also explains why so many people were saying that Russell Buckfasts were really aggressive..Because they were not what he claimed them to be.

 

[hallshoney]

Guess beekeeping is no different to any other business it attracts people out for a fast buck.

 

[For want of a better word]

Guess beekeeping is no different to any other business it attracts people out for a fast buck.

or is that a Buck Fast !!!​

 

[Chrisfnvs]

That's a real shame but not unique to the USA we have had a guy like that over here leaving many unhappy customers.

 

[Norton]

There was something suspicious right from the start with this one. It appeared that he spent far more time on the internet than beekeeping. He just suddenly appeared out of nowhere and seemed like it was too good to be true!!
Claims that his sunkists could attain a worker bee population of 120,000 were obviously gross exaggerations.

 

[johnthefarmer]

Guess beekeeping is no different to any other business it attracts people out for a fast buck.

I suspect you and Sugarbush were colluding on this for your great oneliner!

 

[sugarbush]

I suspect you and Sugarbush were colluding on this for your great oneliner!

I am not good at "Proper English", but I suspect it was meant to be an insult? You would have to make your statement more clear for this dumb ole American I don't follow.

 

[BKF Admin]

Buckfast - as in Buckfast bee
Fast Buck - as in easy money.

That was the joke..

 

[pargyle]

I am not good at "Proper English", but I suspect it was meant to be an insult? You would have to make your statement more clear for this dumb ole American I don't follow.

Just the opposite ...it was a compliment for some rather subtle 'English' humour ... even if it wasn't intended consider yourself a graduate in 'proper' English !

 

[Norton]

Well, at least in Russell's case he does appear to have made a fast buck from his so called Buckfast bees.

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Well, at least in Russell's case he does appear to have made a fast buck from his so called Buckfast bees.

Allegedly, your honour.

Dusty

 

[Norton]

http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?278390-Robert-Russell-is-a-fraud

Just in case you are interested.

 

[Chrisfnvs]

http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?278390-Robert-Russell-is-a-fraud

Just in case you are interested.

Wow they certainly don`t pull their punches on that site do they !! i don`t think we could get away with saying that in the UK

 

[VEG]

they would if it was true

 

[sugarbush]

Wow they certainly don`t pull their punches on that site do they !! i don`t think we could get away with saying that in the UK

Beesource is probably one of the most heavily censored bee sites on the planet... But Barry has some sort of conviction about allowing people to review "vendors" on the site and he largely lets it go unregulated. It is one of the policies of contention because often "vendors" get negative reviews for things that are out of their control or just completely uncalled for.

I had my doubts about RR for a few years now... In some of my correspondents with him he claimed to have a PHD in Entomology and that he acquired it in GB studying under Brother Adam. I thought it was an unlikely story.... His "buckfasts" constantly are rumored to be so aggressive as to be not manageable. I never bought any from him, but his father was one heck of a bee breeder. And he (JN Russell)had the market cornered on Buckfasts in the USA.

 

[Norton]

In some of my correspondents with him he claimed to have a PHD in Entomology and that he acquired it in GB studying under Brother Adam. I thought it was an unlikely.

Yes I agree. They also say that there is monster in Loch Ness and others claim to have been abducted by aliens........

 

[Hivemaker.]

Yes I agree. They also say that there is monster in Loch Ness and others claim to have been abducted by aliens........

Makes one wonder about all that queens inside of fruit cake stuff. lol.

 

[beebreeder]

He must have been a bit of a fruitcake to think he could get away with it indefinitely!!!