--- Bob Harrison <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

Maybe I misunderstood Mike Palmer, he can correct me.
A few years back when I was having wintering problems,
Mike mentioned that Kirk may be having Champlain
Valley Queens for sale.  I believe the mention was
that they were darker bees unique to the Champlain
Valley, that were bred for many years over several
generations, and we very winter hardy and a bit hot to
work at times.  What happened to thses hardy Valley
queens? They all die?

...I have had plenty of feral swarms & swarms from
> buildings. Mine we were
> average,,,

Probably because they weren't ferals.  This is the
biggest misconception out there.

I find that MOST bee removals usually are NOT ferals.
Only after a bit of investigative work to determine
degree of isolation before I would ever consider them
ferals.

IMO,  A swarm that escaped from a beekeeper into some
tree is not a feral, a dog that escaped the owner
(sometimes dragging a chain) is not a feral, the cat
that got loose and visits the kids sandbox at night is
not a feral.

What I consider ferals is Dog's, Cats, bees etc. that
are established and procreating in the wild. But as
long as the ambiguous definition of feral bees exists,
no one is right and no one is wrong.

Joe Waggle ~ Derry, PA
Small Cell Beekeeping
‘Bees Gone Wild Apiaries'
http://www.biologicalbeekeeping.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Organicbeekeepers/



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