Tim:
 
     If you have been used to the "hybrid vigor" of Double Hybrids
     then perhaps it is understandable that pure bred Italians may
     seem a little slow for you.  I think that the Hive and the
     Honey Bee talked about the productivity of "hybrids" due to the
     fact that they ARE hybrid.  If a newcomer to the craft learns
     that the "vigor" is "normal" bee behavior, then non-hybrids
     should look slow and "unimpressive".;-)
 
     Could someone out there talk to this and any new information
     that deals with this?  The information I have is in a 1975
     edition of the HHB but it indicates that productivity of
     Doubles is about 100 - 150% "better"(whatever that means) than
     that of a pure strain.
 
     Anyway, I have ordered from Kelley's for several years and have
     always been pleased.  A package from Kelley last year,
     installed on April 6, 1996, gave me 75lbs of honey by July 15,
     1996.  I was *very* pleased.
 
        My opinion, FWIIW.
 
        Mark Egloff
        [log in to unmask]
 
 
 
        <cut>
"Being in VT a lot of us 'keepers don't order our pkgs
        until what many southern folk would consider late (April). York has
ALWAYS had
        pkgs until way past when everyone else is done. Until two years ago, I
        had always ordered the 'Double Hybrid' strain from York. Then, after
hearing
        so many reports of Kelley bees, I ordered 1 pkg. Kelley only deals
with                 Italians. In my mind I was only reporting how well
these bees have adapted to           Northern VT. I have not been impressed.
 
My comparison benchmarks are not
        established fairly, however. The double hybrid strain, in my
opinion, is
        amazing in many ways. Almost always gentle, very prolific and good
producers,
        these girls have adapted so well to the harshest winters and will be out
        flying in 40deg weather in March (when sunny) rumaging through my
birdfeeders
        for anything that remotely resembles pollen. By contrast, the
italians don't
        begin to move about until 60deg (two weeks ago this year) and by the
time
        hive buildup is done they may have missed all of the tree blooms and
probably
        the dandelion bloom as well. Is any of this of earth shaking
importance? No.
        But it may be good info for anyone considering buying Italians for
this climate.
        I should not have specified 'Walter Kelley' Italians, but there are
so many
        pkg suppliers who claim their Italians are a MUCH better strain than
anyone
        else's..I thought naming the supplier wouldn't be such a bad idea.
        Finally, 'Kelley's bees' aren't even their bees....they second
source from
        unamed suppliers in the South.
 
 
        The Walter Kelley Co is my single source for ALL of my equipment
needs. I
        refer anyone who asks me about an equip supplier souce to Kelley. Local
        suppliers are a good source for emergency needs but are priced too
high to
        hold my business for large quantities.
 
Tim Peters, Kirby VT
[log in to unmask]
KirBee Apiary, Bear Bait Honey
I rather be flying!