Some time ago there was a thread on this list dealing with 'Where to
buy Queens from?' It dealt with the usual, early season, etc.
        I made the point that perhaps tradition and geographical position of
the breeders had dictated the methods of beekeeping to it's
detriment.  In other words, bringing Palm trees from Florida to the
cold North, and expecting them to flourish was asking too much. I
questioned 'aclimatisation and area breeding' but got very little
discussion!
        I would like to raise the question again, especially in light of a
letter received from a client of mine.
 
> bees are doing well   we have had only a couple of 32 degree nights
> and they are working like crazy   a little surprised at our queen
>   i guess no one told her that it doesn't really get cold down here
> for long   in november i redistributed the remaining full supers so
> i had one to a hive  plus an empty super just in case.  however, the
> hive has never slowed down   i removed apistan strips today, a
> couple of days late, but it has been raining off and on for the last
> week.  much to my surprise the hive is still booming and even more
> of a surprise was a FULL second super  added a third, probably not
> wise but i will keep an eye on the weather and if it turns bitter i
> will remove it to help with heat conservation
 
This from Florida. A couple of points (before the grumps get going) I
questioned Apistan with supers on. I realise this is only one queen,
and we need more to evaluate this trait. If anyone wishes to
correspond with my client his address and coperation are
available on request.
        My point? It would appear taking Queens from the North
down South has decided advantages!!!
 
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The Bee Works, 9 Progress Dr, Unit 2,
Orillia, Ontario, L3V 6H1
Phone/fax  705-326-7171
David Eyre, Owner.
http://www.muskoka.net/~beeworks
e-mail <[log in to unmask]>
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