Hi All/Ken

Ken it was interesting hearing your  comments about AHB, and your
belief that your bees may be more aggressive.

I have often though, when listening and reading about people working
on the EHB that there is a strong tendency for bad stinging
incidents. If EHB are so peaceful, why do people need a bee suit,
when here in SA I have not needed a bee suit to work many strains of
African bees, including A.m.scutellata (the killers),
capensis/scutellata hybrids and whatever the bees in the mountains
are (capensis/scutellata hybrids? monticula??).

As an african beekeeper one will never try not to use a smoker. Early
learning experiences teach one fast how to use this useful implement.

European bees, being slower of the mark may not teach beekeepers the
importance of this tool as fast, leading on bad bee days to bad
stinging events. Hence it would mean that european bee keepers are
more likely to make the bees incredibly cross, but the bees are
probably not as aggressive. In africa, making the bees incredibly
cross is very bad......

Yesterday I worked through thirty of my hives, including some of my
hybrid capensis/scutellata (from the hybrid zone) which are more
grotty. I managed all of this without a suit, and got one sting to
the finger tip. I was doing late autumn inspection checking queens
and stores for the upcoming aloe flow. This strikes me as being a
peaceful bee by anybodies standards.

Keep well

garth
Garth Cambray           Camdini Apiaries
15 Park Road
Grahamstown             Apis mellifera capensis
6139 South Africa

Time = Honey