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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Subject:
From:
"J. Waggle" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Wed, 12 Jan 2005 16:43:07 -0800
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> J.W., M.B. tell everyone about feral honey bees and
> how much they out perform
> carefully bred strains.

Well, my home bee yard is in poor bee habitat, minimal
shelter, less flying time, cooler weather and forage
areas some distance away.  Combine these stresses with
with the stress of varroa and many commercially bred
honeybees fail to thrive here and eventually succumb.


I've had 10 years 'fed up' of trying out different
commercially breed bees, and they ALL either
non-produce or succumbed in my poor ridge habitat.  A
pic in the photo section in Norlands shows a feral
colony I retrieved a couple of years ago.  Owner
verified it's existence in the wall since around 1991,
surviving thru even the "great crash of 95".  This
colony and her daughter splits were placed at my worst
bee location along with the commercial breed bees I
managed to keep alive there,  and immediately began to
out-compete the domestics.

I believe I have identified the original location of
this feral and one other location found last season as
potential 'feral small cell pockets' where there seems
to be a thriving population of smaller feral bees
existing.  I continue to get calls for for swarms and
bee removals from these two locations, that when hived
excel above the domestics without any treatments of or
breeding of any special traits.  Some of my feral bees
from these areas are showing a high degree varroa
tolerance, grooming behavior and honey production.
This, now my 5th year without treatments,  and at
least the 15th, year without treatments for the above
mentioned feral colonies I keep.

All swarms and bee removals I retrieve go directly to
my worst bee yard where the habitat there applies
'great selection pressure' on the swarms.  I then
determine the cell size they are drawing and either
regress them or place them directly on small cell.
The tendency in swarms that I retrieve from isolated
areas that I suspect as ferals, is that they generally
draw small cell well and thrive here in the poor
location.  Larger looking bees and suspected domestics
that I collect near commercial beekeeping areas or
towns will generally fail to thrive and fall away.
Believe me,  it is 'very easy' to weed the duds from
the rest because they will do so miserable here. July
is the 'cutoff' date so the speak when I cut-off the
heads of the queens that do badly here so I don't
waste any time trying to improve them.

> > Slipping in a varroa tolerant queen is the easiest
> , cheapest and
> > fastest solution to a varroa problem.

The ferals we easire for me, as they already have the
mite problem solved,,, And don't be so cheep, splurge
a bit and buy a little small cell foundation and the
bees will reward you in kind. ;>)

Best Wishes,
Joe


=====
Joe Waggle ~ Organic Beekeeper,  Derry, PA
'Bees Gone Wild Apiaries'
"Using humane and holistic beekeeping methods"
~ Small Cell Beekeeper ~ No treatments since 2001
~ GO STEELERS!!!



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