>>I think it only fair to bring this to your attention, we all seem to be >>using the term 'Buckfast' too easily. My information tells me that there has >>been no importation of 'Buckfast' into the US for many years, with my >>knowledge of bee breeding and the gradual loss of purity I would suggest >>they cannot be called that anymore. It is highly unlikely that the traits >>you are looking for are still there. Buckfast Abbey have a licensing policy, >>and very strict controls of quality. To my knowledge there is no licensing >>agreement between Buckfast and the U.S.A. > > >According to "KEEPING BEES" by John Vivian, he writes: > Native English brown bees were crossed with Italians, and used by the >bamous beekeeper Brother Adam and confreres fo Buckfast Abbey to save the >British bee industry from acarine disease in the early decades of this >century. This vari-colored bee was bred for superior honey production, >gentleness, a compact brood nest, and good wintering on limited stores. >Their sale is lecensed in the USA only to Weaver Apiaries, Inc. of Navasota, >Texas. Brother Adam's order gets a royalty on each queen sold. > ><[log in to unmask]> Vine Grove, Kentucky, USA >It's a great place to BEE! Yes Sean and Patti, you're absolutely right I went to a talk last October here in Sheffield, given by Brother O'Donovan from Buckfast. There is no doubt that Weaver's have the exclusive licence and they receive drone semen and queens on a regular basis from Buckfast to maintain the line. They pay $1/ queen royalty to Buckfast. Cheers, max (\ ---------------------------------------------{|||8------------- Max Westby (/ (Among other things a Sheffield Beekeeper) South Yorkshire Beekeepers Association BBKA apiary reg: JQ34 Phone (Home): +44 (0)114 236 1038 Phone (Work): +44 (0)114 282 6549 (direct) Fax: +44 (0)114 276 6515 e-mail: [log in to unmask] World Wide Web Site: http://www.shef.ac.uk/psychology/westby/ ---------------------------------------------------------------