> One thing to keep in mind while we converse
> on the BEE-L is that many of the participants are not from the USA.  This
> contributes to the diversity of experiences reported on the list.  I am
> not at all surprised to hear Andreas report how nasty bees have always been,
> while others don't even wear protective gear. I noticed that Andreas's e-mail
> address ended in .CY - I'm not up on my internet addressing, but I KNOW that
> is not in the US!!  Maybe Andreas has grown up dealing with African Honey
> Bees, and considers their temperament to be normal, whereas others are used to
> a "kinder, gentler" type of bee.
 
.CY is Cyprus.  The summers there are very hot and dry.  There is no forage
after the spring.  I would guess that Andreas's bees are just being
protective.  My bees (in England) show similar behaviour although nowhere
nearly as bad.  During the main flow which, in my area is May, I can handle
them without gloves and rarely get stung.  In August, although it is nowhere
near as hot and dry as in Cyprus, there is very little forage and my bees
become distinctly bad tempered so I normally put on gloves.
 
It is also possible that Cypriot bees are naturally bad tempered.  I
don't think there is any problem with AHB but Cyprus is a small country
and it's quit possible that no selective breeding has been done.  Perhaps
Andreas could tell us more.  A friend of mine, a member of my local
beekeeping association, was for many years a successful small beekeeper.
She was notorious for the bad temper of her bees but she was happy with
them.  She used to say, "Well, they may be bad tempered, but I'm used to
them and they are good honey getters."  Recently she went to live in
Cyprus.  After a time she decided to keep bees again and got some through
a contact in the Cyprus Ministry of Agriculture.  She wrote to me saying
that they were so bad tempered that she'd have to get rid of them.  There
was no pleasure in it at all.  For her to react that way they must have
been bad!
 
--
Malcolm Roe                            Phone  :  +44 442 230000 ext 4104
Crosfield Electronics Ltd              Fax    :  +44 442 232301
Hemel Hempstead, Herts. HP2 7RH, UK    E-mail :  [log in to unmask]
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