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.
Printable View
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.
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 :-(
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by madasafish
(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).
<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.
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"