Heeeelloooo Bee-L,

> >Are you talking about beekeeping practices in Russia or about the use of
> strains of bees based on imported genetic material a few years ago?
>
> I believe  Ted was looking for information on the import Primorsky bees

I have a desire to know how the beekeepers of Primorsky manage their bees. Details like equipment, breeding, foundation or how bees are allowed to draw comb, how colonies are provided for nutritional needs, weather conditions, etc.?/* I have not been able to find these and other details out about their Primorsky bee, I guess I may never find out. This would be of great interest and help to me in understanding this very important honey bee. The Russian bee may even show more if it were managed as it is being managed in Primorsky. Wouldn't it be interesting to find out more of this bees origin?

> The Russian bee came to
> us without instructions. Others saw the Russian bee as too complicated and
> tossed in the towel.

I saw it as a bee that had many traits that fit my location and particular style of beekeeping, I would really like to learn more of this bees history.

> The correct name for the Primorsky bee is A.m. macedonica.
>

Do we have discovery? or is this a good guess? If this is the case this bee should be considered for incorporating into breeding programs to improve the Primorsky bee for commercial use while maintaining varroa tolerance.

> Both Dann Purvis and myself on considering dropping the Primorsky bee.
>

A shame, it is by far the best bee I have so far used for my location and it takes to small cells well.

> Tim Tucker (president of the Kansas Honey Producers) did a Russian/Italian
> cross this summer and all the F1 hives were full of chalkbrood!
>

All I have worked with so far are crosses and the one I liked was Russian/Carniolan and subsequently the off spring of my strongest survivors of this cross.

 . ..   Keith Malone, Chugiak, Alaska USA, http://www.cer.org/,
c(((([ , Apiarian, http://takeoff.to/alaskahoney/,
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/akbeekeepers/ ,
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Norlandbeekeepers/ ,
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ApiarianBreedersGuild/

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