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