Hello Lionel & All

Volumes have been written on African scutelata bees and the African hybrid
bee ( AHB). What has been written in the Hive and the Honey Bee (92 edition)
fits the Scutelata (Scut)  bee found in Africa. I went to Florida and did an
article on their African bees ( not sure of year & month from memory maybe
April 2005) but the information was gleaned from Jerry Hayes and his
employees.

 Those bees were more scut *in my opinion* like than AHB like. Swarmed up to
16 times a year and swarms with around 5-6,000 bees.

What we see in commercial operations are AHB or in other words a hybrid
which do not normally display *all* the Scut behavior such as running on the
frames and festooning. Absconding and sending up to 16 swarms a year. ( at
least the AHb I have observed in the U.S. do not).

Commercial beekeepers discuss AHb between ourselves but rarely discuss in a
public forum.

I will give my opinion  on Lionel's questions:

> I have heard that AHB's are noted for swarming, several times a year.True,
> not true?

Up to several times a year with AHB yes.   3-16 times no!

If the AHB are your best producers, why do we need to build up the
> numbers of Italians or Russians,

We have no way to test for AHB genetics, Fabis is not always reliable plus
bee lab turn around time is slow.

 I describe the Fabis test  in Florida in my article ( with pictures) and
have actually done the Fabis test myself. Preparing the slides is in my
opinion the hardest and most important part.

For a fee not beyond what would be considered a price outside the range of a
commercial beekeeper the equipment to do the Fabis test could be set up but
ALL THE TEST PROVES IS THE TEST SAMPLES HAVE A DEGREE OF AFRICAN GENETICS.

 Those familiar with AHb could tell quickly without the FABIS test *in my
opinion* when one or more of documented AHB behavior is seen in your hives.
Personal observation (when familiar with AHB behavior ) trumps the FABIS
test.

Perhaps Jerry Hayes ( head of the Florida Apiary inspection department)
will comment if reading? Jerry and his people are the experts not me!

To answer the above question I would have to say *in my opinion* that is
seems that aggressive behavior and high production go hand and hand with AHB
from my observations.

Running on frames , flying into the air leaving you looking at a frame of
brood without bees and festooning seem rare with AHb I have observed but
common with true scutelata.

 I was under
> the impression that numbers are what produce surplus honey

Many think the Aebi brothers own the record for the most honey from a hive
of bees. Not so! The worlds record is from a *pure*  scutelata hive in south
Africa. Twice the honey produced by the Aebi brothers.

Some AHB hives can be very populace.


> the opinion the only difference in AHB and the other breeds is the alarm
> odor and intensity of aggressive behavior.

Like our own hives all hives with AHb genetics do not behave the same way.

  I am going to go out on a limb and say much of which has been written
about AHB is not true. What has been written about the pure scut is.

 In my opinion the AHb which display the aggressive behavior is rare rather
than the normal. However like I was told recently the hive with truly
aggressive African genetics can send even the commercial beekeeper looking
to get into the truck. Depopulation is the only solution *in my opinion* for
these hives.

Lionel I am not expert on these bees but most commercial beekeepers which
keep bees in areas of known AHB see all of the above described behaviors in
their bees from time to time but never in a single hive like you would see
in A pure A. mellifera scutelata in Africa.

other commercial beekeepers on BEE-L which travel into AHb areas care to add
their comments on this commercial beekeeper taboo subject?

bob

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