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Chris:
> Peter, Would you like to tell us more about your breeding programme?
I will try to keep this short!
The most important aspects for me are the assessment of characteristics,
detailed recording, and the ability to analyse those assessments in order to
identify breeders.
I use an Excel spreadsheet program to do the recording:
http://www.stratfordbeekeepers.homecall.co.uk/BIG%20Stud%20Book%20V3.4%20blank.xls
Detailed instructions for its use and notes on assessment are here:
http://www.stratfordbeekeepers.homecall.co.uk/BIG%20Stud%20Book%20V3.4%20Instructions.doc
I have so far recorded nearly 3400 colony assessments for 692 queens.
> What strain do you have?
Working towards A.m.m. - our native honeybee.
> How do you know?
Assessment of characteristics and use of wing morphometry.
(Full details of methodology are on sheet one here:
http://www.stratfordbeekeepers.homecall.co.uk/MorphPlotV2.2.XLS)
> Are yours pure bred or mongrels?
There are very few pure-bred A.m.m. (or any other race) here in the
Midlands. We are on a journey - but we have almost eliminated yellow and
stripey bees (pyjama jobs!) from our stock and with them went the bad
temper.
> For what characteristics do you select?
Primarily 'nativeness', temper and disease resistance (especially chalk
brood).
> What proportion of queens do you de-select?
This year we re-queened around 40 of our 150 colonies. Not because the
queens were bad - but because we believed that we had better.
Does good temper link with any other characteristic?
In our area we find that hybrids always produce the worst temper - probably
because there is an unholy mix of ligustica, carnica and A.m.m. in the area.
The really bad tempered bees are nearly always striped a sort of
orange/yellow and black. As our bees have become more native so the temper
has improved dramatically. When I started beekeeping I would not have
walked into many apiaries without at least a veil - now I am surprised, and
disappointed, if I get stung when working.
Best wishes
Peter
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