Carni queens

[Woody Roberts]

Well on a whim I ordered a couple of carni queens from Eberts after reading Zweefer's thread. I've been wanting to try some for quite awhile.
I like my bees but their all I've had so how do I really know whether I like them or not.

What pushed me over the edge is I had 10 queens take their mating flights during all this rainy weather we've been having. I don't see how they can be properly mated when it rains every day.
Two I haven't checked on yet and two already tried to supersede and have been combined. The rest are laying like champs but I expect them to fail before fall also.
I'll raise another batch as soon as I get a round of brood  hatched out.

While I'm treatment free and my Russian/ferel bees winter good their not what I'd call aggressive honey producers. Sometimes I might call them aggressive though.

I considered putting them in a yard by themselves but I would like to add some genetic diversity to my neighborhood.

Unless something changes I won't requeen I'll just pull some brood and start a nuc with these queens.
Pictures of carni queens look just about like most of my queens.

[Zweefer]

awesome!  Keep us posted - it will be good to be able to compare notes with someone who not only is getting queens from the same place, but the at the same time too! 

[riverbee]

what zweefer said woody....!

[tecumseh]

I have been taking some time and reading Simplified Queen Rearing by Jay Smith (publication date 1923).  Sometimes it is good to review the basics.  He makes some advice on rearing italian queens and carnis are really pretty darn close.  Several years ago I had a batch of carnis here and I liked them almost as much as my basic italian stock... matter of fact in many ways I could not tell the two apart.  I think you made a good choice and your comments concerning the russians I have heard before and on several levels (beekeepers and queen rearing folks).

[barry42001]

I have Russian hybrids, they are treatment free, I do of course see shb in the areas of the hive less travelled lol but no indication of a larval presence. I have seen varroa in drone brood but not on adult bees yet, they are there, just not in overwhelming numbers. Good brood rearing patterns, storing lots of pollen, filling deep supers. No complaints are not carni and Russian bees virtually the same bee?

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[Woody Roberts]

Carni/ Russian  the same?  I have no idea.
While I often refer to my bees as Russian after several generations of open mating here at the house I'd probably be better off calling them mostly dark with a few light colored mutts.

[brooksbeefarm]

I always thought they were close cousins, but tec had a post i think said otherwise? I've had Carni. for many years and they have served me well. Because of the swarms i catch from other places 10 to 20 miles away and put in with my other bee yards, they don't stay the carni. breed long with superseding and unknown swarming in my outyards. The carni. are quick to swarm in the spring so you have to keep an eye on them, i find them gentle, good honey producers, rarely rob, and winter with a smaller cluster than many other breeds. This is in my area and it may be different in yours? Jack

[riverbee]

no, carnis and russians are not the same bee.  i have attached a  pdf file and a link to another describing the different races of bees.  if anyone is interested in characteristers specific to russians, i can post a pdf file on them as well.

The Different Types of Honey Bees

[apisbees]

Nice pamphlet RiverBee I will need to print some for the fair display

[riverbee]

thanks apis, i think they both are, and lots of good info in both of them.