I noticed a blurb about ars y-c1 cross the other day and would
like to pass along my experience with these bees. I do not think they are
aggressive, but they do tend to be defensive if you work them to much. What
I mean by this is, unneeded messing around with their hive.
         They start early in the day and work till late in the day. They
will work when it is drizzling outside, they will stop only when it finally
is raining hard enough to drive any one for cover. They are low propilizers
until the winter season is being prepared for. Very little bridge and brace
comb during the busy season, I like these two traits because it is easier
to take a double deep apart if you need to.
         The queen is a good layer and lays a good pattern. One trait I
noticed was they do not seem to lay many drones. This may be a good trait
or a bad trait depending on your thinking, for me I like that trait. One
side note I would recommend requeening every year.
         The workers have high flower fidelity till there are no more of
that type of flower, in my case white clover. My first year 3 pound
packages built up population,filled up both deeps for winter and gave me
fourty pounds of section honey in each hive and we had a slow start this
past spring.
         All in all I would say they are a good hybrid. I will learn more
in my second year and find out if these traits hold true over time. If
there any of you out there that have ars yc-1 bees please write to bee-l
and tell us your experience it would be nice to know, also tell us your
location.
                                                      Best regards
                                                    Dennis Scott    West
Central Ohio