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>>> I would question any claims of a breeder using open mating as selling "pure" Caucasians.
<><><> About ten years or so ago we had a package/queen producer in the area (Mr. Bill Gafford) who produced Caucasians. I talked to him and his method of maintaining purity for his line was to provide free queens to all the beekeepers within about 15 to 20 miles from his mating yards. He would provide them queens produced from some of his superior colonies so as to inundate the area with Caucasian drones. I think now, with the severe setback of feral colonies here the area I am in would be ideal for such an effort given support from the local beekeepers in my area.
Questions I have considering committing to such an effort is, with our varroa mite problems today, would I have the same varroa problems as I currently have with my Italian mutts? Would there be a way to incorporate hygienic behavior into the Caucasian line without seriously disrupting the Caucasian line? If I'm able to establish a Caucasian dominate zone would there be enough of a demand for a line of Caucasians that are as pure as is possible to maintain to make the effort and expense worth while?
The several advantages that I see with the Caucasians are a smaller wintering colony, faster buildup in the early spring (import in my area with an early spring honey flow), and a longer tongue which would bee advantageous with the abundance of red top clover in this area.
All rebuttals, discussions, advice is sincerely welcome.
Mike in LA (1/2 way between Montgomery and Mobile, Alabama)Lower Alabama
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