"Survivor bees" found in Blenheim Forest

[Finman]

Now I looked, what BIBBA is doing.

 

[Frizzaldo]

One thing is smaller hives and swarmy bees 50 years ago. Hives were two boxes and now they are 5- 8 boxes. So if you keep all those small hives, of course number survival is bigger than with Italian hive, where number of bees are equal to 3 small hives.

Big hives foraged 3 times more honey per hive that swarmy mongrels.

What means that Survival, varroa, nosema, hive number or what? Queen losses is one type of loss.

In Finland there was plenty of hives. And lots of guys, who did nothing to their hives furing summer. Varroa finished such beekeeping.

At the beginning of summer one small hive swarmed and turned to 3 hives.

When you got varroa to Britain, there were allready several tratments. When Varroa came to Finland, we did not have any treatments varroa furing first 10 years. 1988 Peritzin was first and only allowed treatment.

If we talk about "survival rate", it would be nice to know what were the reasons to vanishing hives

In Finland varroa killed all black bees during years 1980- 2000. It took that time, when varroa spreaded through the country
First Carniolans were imported to Finland about 1985, and they took the place of German Black Beed.

I can say, that varroa and Carniolan killed Black Bees together from Finland.

you need to get your boots on and go out and search the isolated Finnish forests for some survivor bee colonies

 

[Finman]

you need to get your boots on and go out and search the isolated Finnish forests for some survivor bee colonies

I know that there are wild colonies in empty houses. They are mostly Carniolan bees. They are black too.
We do not have survivors, that is sure.

Before varroa we had black bees every where in forests, but varroa killed them all.... in South Finland 60 degree latitude.

 

[Murox]

Do you have a link to that article?

I don't understand that sentence... how would BIBBA members be observing a higher survival rate for Amm bees compared to other bees, doesn't being a member of BIBBA preclude the beek from keeping any other bee than the Amm??? Just like being a member of NIHBS here in Ireland (our version of BIBBA)??? So how could they make like for like comparisons?

If the sentence means that BIBBA members overwintering death rate is lower than the national average; then that could easily be explained by their members greater experience and that newer less experienced beeks tend to partake in such surveys more so?

Here you go - I had to regoogle it Black Bees rediscovered....... note later in the article that a large commercial scale queen breeding programme was urged by Ratnieks way back then. Doesn't seem to have been much progress made since.

 

[Skinfaxi]

So just say they found the native black bee some place, then what? Will the forces shake all our non black bees out.
I am not against black bees. I have never farmed with any, so have no experience with them. Will peaple start to breed with them? Is that then going away from natural selection? So not wild bees. Will they be gentle, not runny, disease tolerant, hygenic,tough, produce honey etc etc. How would this conservation program look like? Who would run it. What will the new laws and regulations look like? Especially if they are found on one of the masters properties who have influence.

 

[Finman]

Good heavens.... " it was thought that black bee has disapered from the UK".

It seems, that Black bee is found somewhere every year.

 

[Murox]

 

[Ian123]

Here you go - I had to regoogle it Black Bees rediscovered....... note later in the article that a large commercial scale queen breeding programme was urged by Ratnieks way back then. Doesn't seem to have been much progress made since.

They tried but they didn’t survive the bee inspectors

 

[Finman]

Black bee saga follows certain formula in the UK.

It was believed that black bee was vanished, but suddenly it was found. And it was more black than ever before.

Even two professors follow that formula, even if they have nursed bees for ages. They were really astonished!

In our country many guys have started to claim, that Italian bee is not able to overwinter in Finland. 90% out of Finnish bees are Italians. They say that Carniolan is the best bee to Finland. From where these fake news come, and what is the big idea, I do not know.

 

[Tony Slater]

Beekeeping dipped during the 80s when varroa first hit but it recovered. Since 2010 the number of beekeepers and the number of domestic colonies has grown annually. It is a myth that there is currently a decline in honey bees in the U.K. It is true that there is a decline in many species of bumble bees and solitary bees. We don’t need more beekeepers, we need to grow more forage.

 

[Ian123]

Beekeeping dipped during the 80s when varroa first hit but it recovered. Since 2010 the number of beekeepers and the number of domestic colonies has grown annually. It is a myth that there is currently a decline in honey bees in the U.K. It is true that there is a decline in many species of bumble bees and solitary bees. We don’t need more beekeepers, we need to grow more forage.

https://www.bbka.org.uk/appeal/save-the-bees

 

[Murox]

Beekeeping dipped during the 80s when varroa first hit but it recovered. Since 2010 the number of beekeepers and the number of domestic colonies has grown annually. It is a myth that there is currently a decline in honey bees in the U.K. It is true that there is a decline in many species of bumble bees and solitary bees. We don’t need more beekeepers, we need to grow more forage.

By knowing about and understanding the forage resources locally and then enabling the colony to take the fullest advantage of them, you maximise the colony's chances of healthy and ongoing survival. Pollen is the main source of vitamins and minerals, proteins and so on, essential for their development; but since bees can't assess the quality of the pollen they collect they forage from a broad range of plants virtually all year. Nectar is only foraged during a few short periods - the spring flow and certain flowering crops, summer, heather and ivy flows.

Different plants produce nectar and pollen in varying quantities according to weather, climate and soil type. With mixed plantings it's more likely there will be something in bloom all year round to help a colony meet its requirements.

 

[madasafish]

It is true that there is a decline in many species of bumble bees and solitary bees. We don’t need more beekeepers, we need to grow more forage.

Let's start with a campaign to slow down Global Warming by discouraging people from decking over gardens and tarmacadaming their drives. A simple move which will save money and improve the environment.

 

[Bumble Bee Slim]

Let's start with a campaign to slow down Global Warming by discouraging people from decking over gardens and tarmacadaming their drives. A simple move which will save money and improve the environment.

Can I please add to that, the what seems like miles of feather edged fencing panels people insist on erecting round here, usually replacing ripped out hedges.

 

[Murox]

Let's start with a campaign to slow down Global Warming by discouraging people from decking over gardens and tarmacadaming their drives. A simple move which will save money and improve the environment.

Can I please add to that, the what seems like miles of feather edged fencing panels people insist on erecting round here, usually replacing ripped out hedges.

Now there's something you can really get your teeth into at a local council/bylaw level.

 

[Somerford]

Beekeeping dipped during the 80s when varroa first hit but it recovered. Since 2010 the number of beekeepers and the number of domestic colonies has grown annually. It is a myth that there is currently a decline in honey bees in the U.K. It is true that there is a decline in many species of bumble bees and solitary bees. We don’t need more beekeepers, we need to grow more forage.

Varroa was first discovered in the UK in April 1992 not in the 1980s….

 

[mbc]

Can I please add to that, the what seems like miles of feather edged fencing panels people insist on erecting round here, usually replacing ripped out hedges.

Astro turf lawns is what grips my ****, no other thing shows pointless loss of habitat quite so starkly imho.

 

[mbc]

I don't understand that sentence...

The sentence is a meaningless soundbite, you understand "anecdotal" yes?

"doesn't being a member of BIBBA preclude the beek from keeping any other bee than the Amm?"
No.
Putting your presumption like that shows a very poor appreciation of what bibba is.

 

[Apiarist]

Oh, sorry, no offence was intended; I haven't taken the time to read the Constitution of BIBBA, ... I'm in (Northern) Ireland and therefore I'm really only familiar with NIHBS here in Ireland, and their constitution clearly states you cannot keep any other bee than the Amm... I made the assumption BIBBA was basically the same, so I couldn't understand how their members could have experience of non-Amm's alongside and at the same time with Amm's, for a like for like comparison.

 

[mbc]

Oh, sorry, no offence was intended; I haven't taken the time to read the Constitution of BIBBA, ... I'm in (Northern) Ireland and therefore I'm really only familiar with NIHBS here in Ireland, and their constitution clearly states you cannot keep any other bee than the Amm... I made the assumption BIBBA was basically the same, so I couldn't understand how their members could have experience of non-Amm's alongside and at the same time with Amm's, for a like for like comparison.

No worries, I'm no longer with bibba, no reason other than it's not easy re subscribing, but I do feel they get a lot of stick for being some sort of dictatorial society, rather than the bunch of well meaning individuals they are.