Buckfast v carniolan

[banwee40]

Hi all just wondered what your experiences are with Buckfast and carniolan bees and also the F2 (Granddaughter) defensiveness.
just wondered what people found practically I know what the general consensus is.

[madasafish]

ABout 4 years ago (2015) I started using Langs and the next year requeened with both Buckfast and Carniolan. SInce then queen rearing has produced a variable mix..I have 8 jumbo langs and usually I have one partially aggressive hive- they grow more and more aggressive during an inspection requiring lots of frequent smoking. I requeen those at the end of the year..
Every second year I appear to have a nasty hive which attacks me when grass cutting with a petrol mower and trimming the grass under the hives (hives on lawn). They get requeened ASAP..

By now I must be on F4 varieties and as long as I raise queens from the most gentle colonies and requeen regularly, no issues that are insurmountable.

I also sell a few queens locally - there is demand as there are few raisers of gentle queens locally and I only charge £25 vs £40 over the internet - but only maximum of 10 ...

I am no beekeeping genius but it appears quite easy if you have time...(as I am an OAP..:-) and a strong body to move boxes (as I am an OAP :-(

[Adam]

By now I must be on F4 varieties and as long as I raise queens from the most gentle colonies and requeen regularly, no issues that are insurmountable.

(

Not quite sure what 'insurmountable' means! :) However I rear from my own bees and generally they are good - selecting from the best queen(s) each year. Occasionally I get one that's not to my liking so that colony is either split down to make nucs from or re-queened as appropriate.

(Generally if a ratty colony is split into nucs and new queens go in, the colony behaves itself - I assume due to the overpowering pheromones from the young and virile queen which sorts the girls out; and small colonies are easy to manage. By the time the colony grows, the new queens bees have taken over in any case).

[fatshark]

<Etymological pedantry> Virile is a term meaning manly or masculine sexual traits </Etymological pedantry> ... no wonder the girls are 'sorted out' :)

More seriously, it's often striking how requeening a thoroughly unpleasant colony results in a very marked improvement in temperament way before any new brood replaces the stroppy workers.

[Adam]

I guess that instead of 'virile' I need to use the word 'fecund', or 'smelly' or maybe a lusty queen? I like that!

Lusty :- "healthy, strong, fit, vigorous, robust, hale and hearty, hearty, energetic, vital, lively, bursting with good health, blooming, in good condition, in fine fettle"