I guess the cat is out of the bag.
 
We have been developing these giant bees in secret and had planned to
reveal them shortly, however it is obvious that they must have swarmed when
the temperature got up around freezing in January and it looks like one
swarm stayed fairly close to home and only went to Vancouver Island.
However, the one that got to the East Coast made a more typical migration.
 
Actually, I think the ones on the Island are probably hybrids, since the
pure strain does not make comb, but rather puts the honey directly into
drums.
 
Usually we try to control swarming by putting on several more drums on each
hive January the first, but it was an early season, so were too busy
loading semis with full drums of honey, and got a day or two behind and
they swarmed.
 
Some of you may have noticed that the world price of honey has slackened a
bit recently.  That is no doubt due to the fact that some speculators have
caught wind of the production potential of these new bees, and are now
driving the price down in anticipation of a glut.
 
Since the secret is now out, we invite all to come and see these
magnioficent bees during our open house.  However you'll have to hurry; we
are only showing off these hives until noon today  - Tuesday April 1st.
 
> If you have a colony of these bees, consider yourself lucky, especially
> if you live in Bear country. This species of bee is the only species
> capable of successfully defending its hive from bear attacks. Not only
> will they defend their own hives, but they will come to the defense of
> the entire yard. A couple of well placed colonies of "the giant honey
> bee" within the apiary, is a better defense against bears than any fence
> that can be built.
>
>
> On Apr 1,  8:01am, H, Tortsgnal wrote:
> > Subject: new species of Apis in America?
> > I have noticed that a swarm has taken over an empty hive in one of my
> > more remote outyards.  The bees seem much more similar to honeybees
> > than to bumblebees even though they are even _bigger_ than the largest
> > bumblebee that I have ever seen.  Each is approximately twice the girth
> > and a little longer than an average man's thumb!  The colony at present
> > occupies two standard bodies in which they have removed the old comb
> > and constructed their own comb (in which the cells are nearly the size
> > of shot glasses!). The bees are very gentle and seem completely free of
> > disease and thus far are bringing in a super of honey each day-- rather
> > unusual at this time of year).  Could these bees be A. labioriosa, "the
> > giant honeybee"?  I'd heard these bees build only single combs and will
> > not live in boxes and seem smaller by half than the bees I have.  I'm
> > going to try to make some splits soon to try to increase the numbers of
> > these bees.
> >
> > Does anyone have any idea how I can find more information on these
> > giant
> bees?
> >
> > H. Tortsgnal
> > Avalon Apiaries
> > Victoria, BC
> > [log in to unmask]
> >-- End of excerpt from H, Tortsgnal
>
>
>
> --
> Kenny W Bailey
> E-Mail  : kbailey@cumberla
> Internet: [log in to unmask]
> Phone   : (910) 484-7156