What kind of bees do you keep?

[GSF]

ditto on the welcome

[Better.to.Bee.than.not]

Mutts? I am very selective on the bees I allow to grant me honey. I only raise Apis dorsata and apis mellifera mellifera, with strict instructions not to mate or inseminate with inferior genetics from other species. In fact, I have a genetics tester at the entrance that tests every bee that comes or goes into the hive and those without perfect genetic sequencing is swatted aside be a mechanical arm if it tries to enter...this prevents robbing as well which is a bonus.

 

heh no seriously, mine are surely all mutts by now also, but I introduced a lot of italian and russian genes into the pools, thats for sure. I know at the minimal they are multi year winter and mite survival stock though and that is all I really care about really.

[CapnChkn]

Durn.

I was going to ask where you found Dorsata...

[OldMech]

I can buy the dark bees that the breeder calls Carniolan, and the packages with golden bees that they call Italian, the MN Hygienic, the VSH Gold, and even Old SOl, and what I usually end up with is the American Tiger queen with beautiful stripes.. so... Mutts here too!