Hi Joe & All,
Thanks for your reply, very interesting how the natural hive functions.
> 4.9 to 5.2 or so. From casual observation percentage
> of 4.9 cells was about 40% and sizes varied up from
> there.
>
There were none smaller than 4.9mm, say 4.8mm down to 4.6mm maybe?
> I started focusing on collecting ferals after talking
> with Dee in 2000. So for about 5 years I placed high
> emphasis on collecting ferals.
>
So your not a novice feral colony collector? Your casual observations of
feral bees are probably very valuable to many beekeepers.
> I compare them to mild mannered Italians, but
> responsive to smoke like caucasians.
>
They sound very workable for many.
> Mite resistance, extreme overall good health, very
> nice brood patterns especially in the woodland ferals,
> more propolis, easily calmed by smoke, more pollen in
> the broodnest, and good pre flow buildups.
>
Can I ask if you monitor mites and by what method? Do these characteristics
maintain themselves after transference to your equipment? Woodland ferals
meaning?, some distance from domestic/managed colonies, and if so how far
away? I see propolis as being highly beneficiary along with the broodnest
priming. How is the honey production compared to non-feral or other races by
percentage.?
> 10 have been living without treatments
> since 2002
>
So you have not yet reached the five year threshold for surviving varroa
that many believe is needed to claim complete survival success? It does
sound like you are doing very great and success is just around the corner.
Your success is something for to keep an eye open for. It's good to know all
your bees did not die and you are not no longer a beekeeper.
> I will generally will have selected out half
> of these colonies by September.
>
Do you keep these in separate yards from your survivors?
. .. 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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