The Monk and the honey bee.

[Jimmy]

Another query/note - how come the Europeans seem so much more professional in their approach to bee breeding (including continuation of the Buckfast bee) than in the UK?
I was looking for a Buckfast pedigree that I found the other evening and there seem to be some excellent sites (eg Stefan Holmer) which makes most UK sites look very amateur.

 

[BeeJayBee]

I just watched the last two and would like to know if BA have any success with the African black queens to improve the Buckfast strain

I looked it up earlier (thanks for the other videos HM).

There's a piece on BeeSource by Erik Österlund that mentions the search for A.m. monticola and says he's used it to develop what he calls the Elgon strain. (Named after a mountain) http://www.beesource.com/point-of-view/erik-osterlund/buckfast-breeding-principles/

Elsewhere it says that Bro. Adam was told to stop bee research in 1992, so I'm guessing he didn't have time to do much between finding the bees in 1987 and then.

It's a guess and could be wrong. I expect somebody else will know for sure.

 

[REDWOOD]

Thanks for the link, made some very interesting reading, the Buckfast legacy continues

 

[Michael Palmer]

Elsewhere it says that Bro. Adam was told to stop bee research in 1992, so I'm guessing he didn't have time to do much between finding the bees in 1987 and then.

Wow, did my bubble ever pop when I visited Buckfast in October. I see why folks are calling it Fastbuck. Signs...cafeteria this way, toilets that, Gift shop over here...I guess my mental image was wrong. When I found that Adam was all but allowed to die in obscurity, with only his old friend Peter...and that his beekeeping tools were thrown in a pig shed. Well....

And I picked up a brochure in the chapel...Bees at Buckfast Abbey. Didn't see the man mentioned. Sad. Promoting their beekeeping Master could only have brought more people passing through their gift shop, and eating in their cafeteria.

I figure the Abbot blew it.

 

[Tom Bick]

We have a long tradition of not fully appreciating what we have on our own doorstep.

 

[REDWOOD]

I can honestly say I was expecting more but had a good time anyway
I often wonder if the Americans owned our castles they would be restored to original form and glory

 

[beeboybee]

Is the full DVD available anywhere to buy/loan?
Downloading anything is rather sloooooow here in the fields.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Is the full DVD available anywhere to buy/loan?
Downloading anything is rather sloooooow here in the fields.

Got mine on Amazoon

 

[charlievictorbravo]

Wow, did my bubble ever pop when I visited Buckfast in October. I see why folks are calling it Fastbuck. Signs...cafeteria this way, toilets that, Gift shop over here...I guess my mental image was wrong. When I found that Adam was all but allowed to die in obscurity, with only his old friend Peter...and that his beekeeping tools were thrown in a pig shed. Well....

And I picked up a brochure in the chapel...Bees at Buckfast Abbey. Didn't see the man mentioned. Sad. Promoting their beekeeping Master could only have brought more people passing through their gift shop, and eating in their cafeteria.

I figure the Abbot blew it.

I'm with you on this, Mike.

Fastbuck Abbey is only 25 miles from me and I visited last year - what a disappointment for a beekeeper. I had to ask three attendants before I was able to find the Apiary. When I found it, there was nothing there to interest a beek - no signs, no handouts, no information, nobody around to ask - in short, it was a PR disaster.

To top it all, the Fastbuck shop had no Fastbuck honey - honey from convents and monasteries all over Europe but none from Fastbuck. No celebration of the life of the world-famous bee breeder. Maybe it's a Benedictine thing - you cannot celebrate the work off one monk - it's the Order that important - bit like a bee colony!

I came away really disappointed - but at least I did not cross the Atlantic to be disappointed.

CVB

 

[Michael Palmer]

I came away really disappointed - but at least I did not cross the Atlantic to be disappointed. CVB

Only a small disappointment in a fabulous trip.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Maybe it's a Benedictine thing - you cannot celebrate the work off one monk - it's the Order that important -
CVB

...and the raking loads of cash in from selling cheap rot brain grog to deprived Scottish youngsters

 

[gerrysw]

Is the full DVD available anywhere to buy/loan?
Downloading anything is rather sloooooow here in the fields.

I rented a copy from Love Film

 

[Smorning]

It's well worth watching very interesting albeit that some of the approaches are not on the spirit of sustainable natural beekeeping, however it is beyond any doubt that brother Adam was a pioneer and had a major impact to conventional beekeeping, first class

 

[Norton]

sustainable natural beekeeping

And this is?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

And this is?

An instrument for rather naiive people who think they are superior to look down their noses at normal people

 

[priono]

An instrument for rather naiive people who think they are superior to look down their noses at normal people

good question actually, for some people a Queen excluder isnt already sustainable neither using any super manageable hive and substituting all honey with sugar.

 

[Steve H]

Thanks for the vid's HM, watched them all.very interesting! It may just be me but i found the 1st one with the strange "musak" (not sure if you can call it Music) a little sinister like Quatermass Experiment, creep-ed me out a little HA HA.

 

[For want of a better word]

19.00 in the first video, "it (acarine) had spread the length and breadth of Britain, literally exterminating the native black bee."

Cobblers !
Despite the fact he was an undoubtedly great beekeeper, its my belief that he abused his position by spreading this sort of nonsense in his unequivocal manner.
After hearing that, I'm struggling to enjoy the video, much as I struggle to read his work with any pleasure. Its a shame really as there is much to learn from this thoughtful man, if you can ignore his silly style of talking in absolutes.

Unfortunately this rash statement was also copied into many beekeeping books of that long past era of pre varroa beekeeping ( Yates Basic exam notes the worst IMOLO)

However as an experimenter B A deserves respect for his holistic methodology and Scientific note keeping.

I think the Abbey sold the rights to the use of "Buckfast bee" and possibly may now not be able to use it?

Yeghes da

 

[Thymallus]

Unfortunately this rash statement was also copied into many beekeeping books of that long past era of pre varroa beekeeping

Yet the only pure Amm's left (as used as a reference point for genotyping) are those from Colonsey and I understand they may even have have a bit of a French accent in their genealogy.
It will be intersting to see if your Cornish Amms come out with an impeccable pedigree when they get tested. Best I heard from Cornwall was around the 70% mark.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I went to buy the DVD to add to my library and Amazon told me I bought it last year......oh dear!