Hello All,
Barry wrote:
 > When I work my own bees, which are also scutellata, but bred to
> > certain refinements, I need very little, if any smoke.
John wrote:
  I have a very experienced English beekeepers word that the AHB
> he experienced on a visit to USA seemed 'just like bees'  as well.
Bob wrote:
A possible answer to why Barry uses little smoke which I must say is *not
recommended* when working scutellata is because of his beekeeping
experience. Ths same goes for the English beekeepers looking at AHB. The
inexperienced  has the most problems with aggressive bees. The experienced
beekeeper realizes if a hive is in a good mood or a bad mood in ways the
novice might miss. The experienced knows when to shut the lid and move on.
Suttle little things like stingers pointed up or  the normal routine stopped
and all eyes peering up at you from between the frames. Boiling out of the
hive and thousands of stinging bees is a documented fact about many
scutellata hives.  A very close firend which has observed scutellata many
times reports things can go ok UNTIL stinging begins. The smell of venom *in
his opinion* sets the pure scutellata off.  Maybe Barry will comment? Also
Barry are you working pure scutellata or a blend of A.melifera adansonii?
Can you or anyone in S A say for sure?  Have you tried to breed for a pure
scutellata strain?  I don't know why you would but felt compelled to ask.
Are you not trying to breed out the aggressiveness of scutellata and have
been trying to for YEARS?  Feral colonies of scutellata seem the most
aggressive.
John wrote:
 I believe Brother Adam did not use  scutella, can any one confirm this?
The Midwestern Beekeepers library has the video tape I refered to. I am
positive about Brother Adam working with scutellata on his search for the
*perfect bee*. I honestly can't remember if the tape says he brought back
any scutellata queens. I don't believe he did. Of the queens Brother Adam
collected on the trip (Monticola and others) the English bee breeders would
know better than I which he used in his bee breeding program.
John wrote:
> Is the AFB resistance not part of the reason  for the  original
importation to <America?>
Dr. Kerr was in search of a super bee. I believe he wanted queens from all
the races to experiment with. He was isolating genes and traits. The fact he
brought the cape bee backs up my theory. What trait or gene Dr.Kerr could
get from the *Cape Bee* escapes me.  AFB resistance could have been part of
the reason for the importation but is not talked about in books of the
period. In 1957 the world & U.S. was beginning to get a handle on the AFB
problem which was out of control in the 1940's in the U.S.  I started
keeping bees in the 1950's in Florida and we talked about foulbrood but AFB
was under control in most parts of the U.S. at the time.
Sincerely,
Bob Harrison
Odessa, Missouri
Ps. Dr. Kerr was ahead of his time in bee research. He was highly respected
by researchers world wide. Dr.Kerr did error in judgement in my opinion when
he gathered together in another part of the world two strains of undesirable
bees. He should have isolated the genes in Africa and brought the genes into
South America but the world was a smaller place in 1957 and funds for bee
research were in short supply.