Hello,
I wasn't going to touch this subject for several reasons, amongst which are:- the danger that it could develop into a battle on this forum and the workload at the moment - however, it is Easter here and I only have some inseminations to do today, before we down tools for the next three days.
As a registered EU bee breeder and someone who actually makes a living from the breeding and exportation of selected queen bees to the UK and other EU countries, I naturally watch very closely any issues that could have an effect on my profession.
One such item has recently come to light. On the SICAMM website under the Aviemore section is a statement that the 30% losses sustained in the UK this last winter are due to poorly adapted stock headed by imported queens. I am really surprised by such a dogmatic and wide ranging statement , when we know from feedback from our customers that this is incorrect to say the least. I would like to know where SICAMM got this idea from and on what facts and statistics this is based. Furthermore when one looks at the list of people involved with this project, it is even more surprising that some well known scientists are involved and that they would allow their names to be associated with unsubstantiated statements such as this, when the real reason for the 30% losses are probably poor beekeeping and ineffective varroa treatments.
Actually the format follows that of some other AMM groups, where it is common to see incorrect or misleading claims made both about imported queens and the qualities of AMM.
Sure, some really good strains of AMM exist and the material from this subspecies was used twice in the Buckfast breeding programs by Brother Adam. He admired greatly that vigour that French AMM brought into his lines.
If these AMM groups got down to some serious selecting and breeding work, I am sure that they could breed a very good bee, instead they seem to be content with blaming everything on imported queens, which in my opinion contribute desirable, for the beekeeper, genes to the UK's bee population.
Bee scientists in the USA have been given special permission to import genetic material from Europe for use in their breeding programs and to try to keep their genetic diversity high. It seems that they recognise the dangers of a limited gene pool.
It looks very much like they are following the footsteps of Brother Adam here, in a seach for the best strains of bee to include them into their own lines.
No natural race has all the characteristics needed by modern beekeepers. All of them have desirable and undesirable traits. The Buckfast program theory was to take the desirable ones and to include them within the main Buckfast strain. We hear all sorts of arguements, including the one that they are hybrids and therefore do not breed true - people that make this sort of remark just show how little they know about bees and in particular Buckfast bees. If you mate Buckfast to Buckfast you are of course going to get Buckfast!- correct?
Have a good weekend.
Norton.
