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Subject:
From:
Dave Cushman <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 24 Apr 2007 15:42:15 +0100
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Hi Peter

>> Soon after Br. Adam joined Brother Columban, thirty out of the Abbey's 
>> forty-six colonies were wiped out by a disease known as Acarine. All 
>> of the bees that died were of the native British black bee variety. 
>> This bee was renowned for being hardy, but somewhat ill-tempered. The 
>> bees that survived the outbreak were all of Italian origin.

This was fiercely defended by Bro. Adam, but all the tests that I have 
conducted found the opposite, to the extent that it can be used as a 
selection tool. The British bees do get Acarine (TM) but it does not 
cause any major problem except perhaps to one colony in a few hundred 
(which is better out of the equation anyway). It may have been that the 
bees did have acarine, but that the cause of their demise was actually 
another problem.

For some unknown reason Bro. Adam was prejudiced against the British 
Native bee.

Bro. Adam also vehemently stated that the British bee had been wiped out 
by 'isle of white disease', but we now know this to have been incorrect.

His work has been dressed up by some of his followers as some sort of 
project to produce a super bee, when all he himself actually considered 
that he did was to produce an ideal bee for the production of heather 
honey on Dartmoor (which specification the Buckfast bee as it was filled 
very well).


Regards & Best 73s, Dave Cushman, G8MZY
http://website.lineone.net/~dave.cushman or http://www.dave-cushman.net
Short FallBack M/c, Build 6.02/3.1 (stable)

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