Subject: Tex-Mex feral swarms To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Tex-Mex feral swarms A question was asked in an recent post about beekeepers keeping "killer" bees, and I just got a letter from a beekeeper in one of the areas outside of Texas that has been reported to have the dreaded Tex-Mex bee I thought others may be interested in reading. This is from a full time 3rd generation beekeeper and his wife who also is a good beekeeper. ttul Andy- Oct. 22, 1994 "I have some bees that you might like to look at. They seem to have about five pounds of pollen every time I pull the tray? They walked eight or ten inches down and around the pollen trap and did battle with the ants. The ants gave up. This was a tiny, feral swarm that I gave a frame of brood and a little bit of food this spring. I supered them in June and didn't look again until mid-August, at which time the bees were literally boiling out of three lead-heavy bodies; almost unbelievably populous. I put the trap on and gave them another super." They are not extremely well-mannered, but I LOVE them." Not at all like the conditions I find when I go to my apiaries. ttul Andy-