Which type of bees?

[Abercroft]

Why would one chose Buckfast bees over Carniolan bees? I’m in eastern Scotland.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Why not even consider amms?
I would have to find out what local beeks have got first.

I've not had carnicas but have tried buckfast bees, well my lad has and they didn't servive there first winter, and were not very good at defending there nest, and consumed lots of stores.
IMHO there's a bee for a box ie.. Carnica, bucks, longstroth/14x12.
Amms national and 14x12.
Something also to consider which hive type you want to use.

 

[Abercroft]

Amms? ( sorry , beginner).

 

[Mint Bee]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_dark_bee

 

[fiat500bee]

Amms? ( sorry , beginner).

..me too.
Apis mellifera mellifera; often known as The Black Bee or otherwise, The Dark European Honeybee. The native bee of Scotland and much of Europe. Once thought to have been wiped out. Many people try to keep this bee because it is in many ways better adapted to our climate and conditions.
You will find lots of pros and cons as regards choosing this type of bee. I'm in NE Scotland and some local bees I bought without regard to what type they were appear to have many of the attributes claimed for the Black Bee and are very "happy" in this locality. I also have some Buckfast and they have developed differently as a colony but also seem "happy". I haven't had my first winter of beekeeping so in a few months I may have neither.

But some people would say that the Amm. have a better chance. Keep us posted.

 

[Abercroft]

Got it. I had seen those too. I’m only at the stage of gathering info, hoping buy equipment and connect with beekeepers near Christmas. I ask about the type of bee because I’m shopping for a nuc to reserve now, so I won’t get left out later in the spring.

 

[madasafish]

I run both Buckfast and Carniolan mongrels.
All survive very well. The Carniolans are more prone to swarming...

And I appear to have lots of honey

 

[Mint Bee]

Some beekeepers have very entrenched views on the species of bee that is kept. Ultimately there are many factors to choosing from a personal level. The UKs biggest bee farmer keeps Buckfast type bees in the east of Scotland with great success

 

[Abercroft]

Another question... I’m in an agricultural area, potatoes, wheat, oats and barley. Some roots like beets and parsnips too, hay. And I have three acres of ornamental plants and trees, plus I found two HUGE lime trees in a neighbours yard.
But I’m a little worried about pesticides being in agricultural land. I rarely see any honeybees here, although lots of bumbles and solitaries. The farmer across the field from us rents hives for a few weeks every summer.
Any comments?

 

[Abercroft]

I think I’ll go with Buckfast....to learn on. Maybe go to the native later if beekeeping sticks with me.

 

[Curly green finger's]

I think I’ll go with Buckfast....to learn on. Maybe go to the native later if beekeeping sticks with me.

Which ever type you chose I wish you all the luck.
Apologies for not being more specific with my wording.

I suggested finding out what local beekeepers have bee wise, because you will find out what works for them servivial, honey yealed, aggressive behaviour.

I've found my black bee's to be very productive in my area, more so than my Italian mongrels.
But the Amm type take longer to expand in the spring, but come out of winter with lots more stores. Eg.. Single brood national colonys going into winter weighing 30kgs, weighing in March at 20 kgs as an average.
Italian mongrels again weighing 30kgs by the end of Feb are needing fondant.

Im using my Italian mongrels for splits - nucs as by the start of May most are bursting on 11 frames of sealed brood.
Most commercial beeks have two types of bee and I can see why.

 

[Swarm]

Why would one chose Buckfast bees over Carniolan bees? I’m in eastern Scotland.

Do you intend to buy replacement queens every couple of seasons? It's the only way you will continue keeping your choice of bee.
I would advise you to contact local beekeepers and find out what they are keeping, ask them for advice regarding obtaining bees, you may find a nice local source of nuc which will not only be cheaper but it will contain bees reared in the area.

 

[fiat500bee]

I think I’ll go with Buckfast....to learn on. Maybe go to the native later if beekeeping sticks with me.

It will

 

[Abercroft]

Hummmm.. you guys are giving me food for thought.
I was thinking buying from a company whose nucs are treated and inspected before they go out might be a good idea since they will be “clean” going into a new hive.
i wasn’t going to replace the queen on a schedule, I just wanted to learn the trade with the cleanest (disease free), calmest bees around. Buying from a local scares me a bit, since I read somewhere we had AFB in the area a few years ago.

I’m in Angus, and love the idea of having native bees...but I’m a newbie, and thought I need the gentlest, most forgiving bees to learn from.
once I get my feet under me, I’m fine with mongrels or natives.

 

[Abercroft]

I think I’ll talk with a local before I reserve anything.

 

[hemo]

I use what ever bee strain likely 99.9% local hybrids that I collect.
Though one does get a mix of queen colours now and then from swarms collected from amber to dark brown. I do weed out the worst queens I get and unite or re-queen. Locally most open air re-queens go well and don't often get many real bad colonies that are vicious, occasionally some do get a bit niggly but then settle down again by next inspection overall they appear quite good.
My last swarm collected was April last year and they were beauties with an amber queen, quiet/gentle on the comb, one was able to ispect with out kitting up and but for my sanity and wife's worries I did use a veil and thin nitrile for inspections as they like propolis. Even this year I have two new queens from the queen I collected and both colonies have the same calm trait.

 

[Abercroft]

Sorry, it was EFB that hit the area.,.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Hummmm.. you guys are giving me food for thought.
I was thinking buying from a company whose nucs are treated and inspected before they go out might be a good idea since they will be “clean” going into a new hive.
i wasn’t going to replace the queen on a schedule, I just wanted to learn the trade with the cleanest (disease free), calmest bees around. Buying from a local scares me a bit, since I read somewhere we had AFB in the area a few years ago.

I’m in Angus, and love the idea of having native bees...but I’m a newbie, and thought I need the gentlest, most forgiving bees to learn from.
once I get my feet under me, I’m fine with mongrels or natives.

Black bee's are gentle you just have to be selective.. Don't be scared of the thought of keeping natives because your a newbee, and you have heard from other beekeepers that they can be aggressive, this is true for all types.
Defencive behaviour can't be just judged by bee type alone.

 

[Apple]

Some beekeepers have very entrenched views on the species of bee that is kept. Ultimately there are many factors to choosing from a personal level. The UKs biggest bee farmer keeps Buckfast type bees in the east of Scotland with great success

One of the biggest importers of bees as well, bees bred and raised in Northern Italy and then transported as packages back to Scotland.

Find out what the other beekeepers in your area use and do not import!

Like CGFs' I keep locally acclimatised Italian bees.. some may call them Buckfasts... but that specific variety of hybrid vanished years and years ago. I keep them as they boom away early, especially if constantly fed, and provide surrogate bees for my own native bee breeding programme.. you need a lot of bees and early on in the season to rear a lot of queens!
My "main crop" is Cornish Native black bees ( Amm) but I have not idea how they would fair in Bonnie Scotland!

Chons da

 

[Mint Bee]

And excellent bees they are too, compared to my local population of vicious swarming bees.
I do think you are doing Murray and his team a great disservice thought Hoppy. You are well aware they raise 1000's of queens in Scotland as well, and have been working with others to eradicate the local endemic EFB situation.

Does sound as if you are concluding this local situation is the sole responsibility of one person? Any specific evidence?

Not the sort of comment that I would expect to be published in the beginners section, if at all.