Stiffy wrote:It is very easy to jump to conclusions
As that comment was made under a copy of my prebvious post, I would say that I do not jump to conclusions.
All I said was 'what do you expect'? That means you might not be surprised if they are a bit chilly. Metaphors all along the line, of course.
Just consider the probability of a local queen being up to the local climate, compared to an import from a distant shore. Which one is more likely to have the right 'jeans' to keep warm, not over-brood late into the autumn etc? Surprise, surprise, you came to the same conclusion as me!
Imported queens are often bought from people who either export or import; they have one thing in mind. Profit. Some may be far better than others when supplying queens and offer suitable ones only. Some (most ) sales-people only accentuate the advantages of their particular 'brand' while not even mentioning the down-sides.
I have seen on this site where a salesman wrote that he would not supply bees to an inexperienced beekeeper unless he was satisfied they could cope with them properly. Then supplied a new beek who didn't have a clue. Ethics? Possibly none.
I said queen stock needs very careful consideration. Finman said the same and that it can take several years to do it. New beeks simply get what the salesman is selling. Local bees are at least that; they may be a mixture but should be, or have a better chance of being, adapted to survive in this particular environment.
It is not just temperature. Length of autumnal 'tail', wet and miserable rather than crisp and dry, warm spells followed by frosty cycles. Just depends on which way the wind blows, literally!
Does the new starter want bees which need re-queening every year? I think not.
Does the new starter want docile bees? You bet they do!
Are my bees docile enough for a new starter? Some are and some might not be. I started with mongrels which 'followed' and still have some. No winter losses yet that I am aware of, but that could change. I haven't looked at some hives for the last two weeks or so. I do not open them until the weather is suitable, unless they heft light.
The one problem Britain has is bees cannot now survive easily 'in the wild' and that was caused by human activity. Importing more mites/viruses/beetles, etc will not help the situation. I choose not to use imported queens. My choice. I will not be responsible for unsuitable genetic diversity (which will fail in the long run, for sure).
New beeks don't have the experience to sort out all their priorities.
Go back just a century and a half and beekeepers relied on swarms every year - to replenish stocks killed for the crop. There were plenty available. Now nobody wants a swarmy stock. Shame. If all our bees had that trait, there might be enough bees for all new starters and more non-beekeeping people might have experienced bees swarming, a natural occurrence all those years ago.
Regards, RAB
As that comment was made under a copy of my prebvious post, I would say that I do not jump to conclusions.
All I said was 'what do you expect'? That means you might not be surprised if they are a bit chilly. Metaphors all along the line, of course.
Just consider the probability of a local queen being up to the local climate, compared to an import from a distant shore. Which one is more likely to have the right 'jeans' to keep warm, not over-brood late into the autumn etc? Surprise, surprise, you came to the same conclusion as me!
Imported queens are often bought from people who either export or import; they have one thing in mind. Profit. Some may be far better than others when supplying queens and offer suitable ones only. Some (most ) sales-people only accentuate the advantages of their particular 'brand' while not even mentioning the down-sides.
I have seen on this site where a salesman wrote that he would not supply bees to an inexperienced beekeeper unless he was satisfied they could cope with them properly. Then supplied a new beek who didn't have a clue. Ethics? Possibly none.
I said queen stock needs very careful consideration. Finman said the same and that it can take several years to do it. New beeks simply get what the salesman is selling. Local bees are at least that; they may be a mixture but should be, or have a better chance of being, adapted to survive in this particular environment.
It is not just temperature. Length of autumnal 'tail', wet and miserable rather than crisp and dry, warm spells followed by frosty cycles. Just depends on which way the wind blows, literally!
Does the new starter want bees which need re-queening every year? I think not.
Does the new starter want docile bees? You bet they do!
Are my bees docile enough for a new starter? Some are and some might not be. I started with mongrels which 'followed' and still have some. No winter losses yet that I am aware of, but that could change. I haven't looked at some hives for the last two weeks or so. I do not open them until the weather is suitable, unless they heft light.
The one problem Britain has is bees cannot now survive easily 'in the wild' and that was caused by human activity. Importing more mites/viruses/beetles, etc will not help the situation. I choose not to use imported queens. My choice. I will not be responsible for unsuitable genetic diversity (which will fail in the long run, for sure).
New beeks don't have the experience to sort out all their priorities.
Go back just a century and a half and beekeepers relied on swarms every year - to replenish stocks killed for the crop. There were plenty available. Now nobody wants a swarmy stock. Shame. If all our bees had that trait, there might be enough bees for all new starters and more non-beekeeping people might have experienced bees swarming, a natural occurrence all those years ago.
Regards, RAB
not a big fat juicy queen. so there 's another point regarding queens make sure they are well fed. I still believe that more attention should be made of the queen and her habits going into winter, its just no good enough to say I saw eggs so everything must be OK.
