Author Topic: bee breeds  (Read 3584 times)

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Offline Zweefer

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bee breeds
« on: May 17, 2014, 11:14:13 pm »
I am interested : What breed of bees do you keep, and why?

I myself have Italian / Carniolan cross, because that is what was available to me in nuc form...

Keeping of bees is like the direction of sunbeams.
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Offline iddee

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Re: bee breeds
« Reply #1 on: May 17, 2014, 11:29:31 pm »
Mutts....

And Wayne's bees. Which are special mutts.
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Offline Zweefer

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Re: bee breeds
« Reply #2 on: May 17, 2014, 11:32:47 pm »
Mutts....

And Wayne's bees. Which are special mutts.

and the why?  I guess that's what I'm more interested in.  Why do you keep what you do?  circumstance?  traits you like in the breed? better luck with one type over the other....  product of a swarm, etc. 
Keeping of bees is like the direction of sunbeams.
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Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: bee breeds
« Reply #3 on: May 17, 2014, 11:51:48 pm »
I lost all the Italians, so I have / HAD Carnys and new world carnys, and of course feral bees wich as Iddee said are likely mutts..
   The Packages I just installed are "Italians" from Georgia... at least as much as anyone can claim their bees are of a pure breed..   I installed them as a bit of a larger test to compare them to the mutts and Carnys this winter.. I have not had good luck wintering them. The line is drawn in the sand now though...
   I have ten nuc's of local mutts due to arrive anytime within the next week, and I have 5 VSH queens due to arrive on Tuesday I will use to do some splits...

   Within two years, ALL the bees I have will revert to the "MUTT" status, minus the resistant queens I order each year to add genetics...
   Why?
   The original Italians were ordered, the local and feral mutt's I caught, cut out, or inherited, and the Carniolans, I bought from someone who was giving up beekeeping as established hives.
    I have found that I like the local mutts...  In adding resistant genetics to them, and raising my own queens, they will slowly transform into Americans.. like most of us who live in this country, they will be a mix of all races...
   They seem to deal with the climate better, come through winter with less loss, start up in spring faster, and produce extra honey, even when the weather does not cooperate. We will see as time passes if they can also become mite resistant.
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Offline iddee

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Re: bee breeds
« Reply #4 on: May 18, 2014, 08:46:57 am »
Mutts... Because they are free other than labor and equipment, and sometimes I am paid to take them.

Wayne's... Because they have never been treated, nor have any of their ancestors been treated, for tracheal nor varroa mites.
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Offline GLOCK

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Re: bee breeds
« Reply #5 on: May 18, 2014, 08:57:14 am »
Mine are American mutts.
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Offline Riverrat

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Re: bee breeds
« Reply #6 on: May 18, 2014, 09:01:52 am »
I have 3 breeds I keep,  Mutts, Heinz 57, and Baskin Robbins 31 flavors.  :laugh:
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Re: bee breeds
« Reply #7 on: May 18, 2014, 05:30:12 pm »
I went with Carni's to be different. Three years and 14 packages later... some of them look like russians, some look like italians, most look like ahhhh ..... i don't know :laugh:

Offline Woody Roberts

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Re: bee breeds
« Reply #8 on: May 18, 2014, 07:48:48 pm »
Mine are mostly a darkish color but I have a few yellowish ones. I started with a queen less Russian hive that raised a queen and mated with whatever lives in the trees around here. Raised my own queens ever since.

I've never treated my bees with anything and I'm pretty sure the local bee trees have never been treated.

I only breed from the survivors because the others are dead. In actuality I've never lost a hive that I could suspect mites were an issue.

Offline tbonekel

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Re: bee breeds
« Reply #9 on: May 18, 2014, 08:11:24 pm »
I don't have a clue. Mutts, I guess.

Offline Bsweet

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Re: bee breeds
« Reply #10 on: May 18, 2014, 08:43:14 pm »
The wife bought a package with a Carni queen for my birthday this year, they  will be mutts next year just like the others I have. Why ? Because the queens open/free breed with the local drones. Jim
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Offline riverbee

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Re: bee breeds
« Reply #11 on: May 18, 2014, 09:38:58 pm »
russian and russian mutts, and then swarms of unknown breed............so MUTTS!

zweefer, i keep russians and mutts of now because i have had the most success with them in our northern climate and beating the varroa mite and for their disease resistance. italians don't make it or do well up here, i don't care what anyone says.  carnis, depends......
been thinking on trying buckfasts, the only bees i haven't tried. hope this helps.... :)
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