> How would you compare the Hawaii carnies to the NWCs as far as their
> productivity?
I should specify that I am talking about Kona carniolans, and they are not
pure carnies, from what I have heard. They are open-mated. I have no
experience with the NWCs as such, although I understand that Gus gets his
genetics from the mainland. I've been told what strains, but don't recall
well enough to say.
> And how do they compare to the 'meat-and-potatoes' Italian thoroughbreds?
I hesitate to make the kind of general statements and sweeping, categorical
claims that seem to have lately migrated to this list from some of the less
critical venues, but will make the following tentative comments with the
caveat that these are just my feelings, not the kind of measured and certain
information that this list really deserves.
First, I have no real, accurate measurements, or positive IDs on the bees in
my yards. I am going more by the fact that I know I have two main sources of
bees intermixed in my yards and that the hives range in behaviour.
Moreover, most hives seem to fall into either of two groups (with some
falling in between), each of which demonstrates a set of noticeable traits
that seem to correspond to what others report about these two varieties of
bees.
The 'Italians' give me more early splits, and make me feel better when I
open them in early spring, since they do not look as if they are about to
dwindle away.
The carnies sometimes tend to get marked in March and early April as "likely
to die by May', then surprise me by being big hives later.
The carnies can get overfed in the fall. The result is hives overly full of
feed in the spring. The Italians get rid of any surplus feed and turn it
into bees early enough that I can split them easily.
As for crop, I haven't really noticed any difference. It seems that,
although they may have different habits, the end result is about the same.
Which do I like better? I think the Italian type, simply because I like to
see lots of bees when I open a hive, and they are pretty.
YMMV.
allen
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