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Subject:
From:
Dave Cushman <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 15 Oct 2007 11:42:05 +0100
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Hi Bob

> Both batches were exactly like Brother Adam
> described in his writings.

Perhaps Bro Adam had not seen the right examples, a lot of people in UK 
believe his writings, I have never understood why he reached the 
conclusions that he did, because I have never seen any of what he 
complained about. I have however seen most of what he did not like in 
Italian/AMM hybrids. Perhaps if he had the measuring tools that are 
becoming more commonly used, he may have discovered that what he was 
complaining about were not AMM in the first place, but we will never 
know that now either way.

> The Italians I work today and replaced the A.mm with I can
> work with open pants legs and only a smoker.

The reverse is true in UK and is one reason why bee suits have become 
progressively more strong in their degree of protection.

> Keeping a few hives of A.mm around for conversation pieces might be OK

How convinced are you that what you have is actually AMM, have you kept 
records and done morphometry on them ?

> in almonds showing the Australian bees flying to almonds in RAIN (while
> several of our best Italian lines huddled at the entrance).
> Flew and hour earlier and an hour later than our U.S. italians.

The characters you describe here are more typical of AMM than Italian, 
certainly as far as UK conditions are concerned the Italians are the 
last to fly and the first to give up for the day.

> Little has changed since the year I was on the Irish Beekeeping list I can
> see! I still hear the roar of the members when I voiced my opinion on A.mm
> and also my never ending support of the work of Brother Adam! I agree with
> his methods completely and used Buckfast bees for years till the quality of
> my Buckfast queens went south.

We will "agree to disagree", I may be seen as bigoted or even fanatic by 
some, but I hope I do not roar, 35 years ago I held the same opinions as 
you yourself currently do (and many other US beeks do), but as I learned 
more and actually tested out what was written in the books I have 
changed my opinions to those you hear on this list today, however I have 
done it under UK conditions not US ones. If I can encourage others to 
check things for themselves, then I expect there will be a few that will 
also change their opinions, because evidence is better than any degree 
of conjecture.

I consider it a pity that Bro. Adam did not put his attention to 
cleaning up AMM from the hybridisation that had already occurred, he was 
a great beekeeper, I think his talents were wasted in following the path 
that he took. But because he was well known and a dogmatic proponent of 
his method his statements made a disproportionate and damaging impact on 
beekeeping in UK.


Regards & Best 73s, Dave Cushman, G8MZY
http://website.lineone.net/~dave.cushman or http://www.dave-cushman.net
Short FallBack M/c, Build 6.02/3.1 (stable)

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