Hi to all on BEE-L

Trevor wrote:


With the discussion on Punic bees, just some details of
their introduction in Australia.

There is a record of an import in 1892.  There is an ad
from one queen breeder advertising "1 choice tested Italian
queen, 1 young Carniolan queen, 1 young Punic queen.  A
profitable trio. Carniolan and Punic queens raised from the
best imported stock and mated with Italian drones..."  The
price was one guinea which would be A$2.10.

Reply:
Trevor, this is good you accounting the import of honey
bees to Australia here. It seems you have had much basic
race diversity imported.

Trevor continued:
Accounts say the race was black and sometimes compared to a

caucasian. There was debate as to whether this bee was
suitable for beekeeping in Australian.

Reply:
Take away man's names and all you have in common is small
black bees, like small yellow bees and then big ones that
transition into and out of various regions on earth, so I
can see the comparison. A common thing is seems is that
Tunisian (small black), Caucasian (small black) and Cape
bees (small black) is small size. Kinda makes one wonder!!!

Trevor continues:
In 1904 a description of Punics was "Very good bees,savage,
slow in starting brood rearing, breed at the right time
when no honey is being =
gathered, and almost stop breeding when the honey starts
and fill the hives right full of honey; as soon as the
honey flow stops they again start rapid breeding.  The bees
are good white comb builders." This was in Brisbane,
Queensland which would be about 26 degrees south.

For what it is worth.

Reply:
This is all worth a whole lot Trevor. Wow! you have cyprian
bees with early noted thelytoky and tunisian bees also
along with Italian. How lucky you are.

Have your scientists ever checked for thelytoky in
Australian bees or do they steal into other hives and sneak
eggs when hopelessly queenless? Any odd traits you have
ever seen your bees do?

What a boon for research if you could ever get the money to
study for a whole-bee breeding concept.

Regards,

Dee A. Lusby






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