Peter Borst wrote:
> I was always under the impression that the part of England where the
> Abbey is located is not a very good beekeeping region.

I would not agree with that (I was born and spent most of my early years in 
SW Devon) - but perhaps there are some Devonshire beekeepers lurking who 
might care to comment (I believe that Devon has more beekeepers than any 
other county in the UK - so it can't be bad!).

> Furthermore, if a lot of those 240 colonies are mating nucs, that
> would pull the average down.

The website states:
'The total number of hives in production currently is about 240', so I 
assume that these are not nucs.

>> The ongoing objective of bee breeding at the Abbey is to produce bees 
>> that are more resistant to diseases, especially to Varroa, and ultimately 
>> more productive.

They are not alone!

Peter 

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