Hi All
 
I just thought I would post three little anecdotes I have for and
against african bees.
 
A while back I went to Cradock a town a few hundred kilometer inland
of where I live. This pust it in a zone where the bees are sort of
between capenis (tame) and scutellata (not tame). I found a nice
beehive in a tree and figured well lets have a look at them. I always
have a beesuit with me when I go away so I put it on and had a look
at the hive. I collect propolis so decided to try and get a sample.
Before I had reached the hive (in a few hundred year old olive tree)
the bees were hitting my veil like small hail stones. Opon reaching
the hive, and taking a piece of propolis a long beard like thing of
bees began litterally growing out of the hive and disintegrating as
it got to about a foot length out of the hive. At this point I stood
back and heard the bees find some zebras in the bush nearby as well
as some vervet monkeys about fity meters away in a tree. I paced away
from the hive and counted the number of paces I had to walk before I
no longer had bees that could sting buzzing me. It come to just over
90 meters. After ten minutes when walking back the bees found me
withing 50 meters of the hive.
 
These were naturally not the sort of bee one would want to work with.
 
On the other hand, there is a man in Zimbabwe who has been the
government apiculturist there for many years. He has now retired but
through an active and positive campaign he has developed both
AHB that are easy to handle (my girlfriend has seen him work two such
hives without any smoke at all and not get stung).
 
So, given that there are positive aspects to the african honey bee,
as well as negative aspects, just as there are positive and negative
aspects to the european honey bee, why does someone not have the
vision of early pioneers like brother Adam etc to bread a bee which
will occupy the niche that the present AHB's are filling?
 
Just a though
 
Keep well
 
Garth
---
Garth Cambray       Kamdini Apiaries
15 Park Road        Apis melifera capensis
Grahamstown         800mm annual precipitation
6139
Eastern Cape
South Africa               Phone 27-0461-311663
 
3rd year Biochemistry/Microbiology    Rhodes University
In general, generalisations are bad.
Interests: Flii's and Bees.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this post in no way
reflect those of Rhodes University.