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Author Topic: Which kind of bee's?  (Read 3804 times)

Offline Colorado Beekeeper

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Which kind of bee's?
« on: January 05, 2006, 10:25:53 pm »
I am just starting and I would like to know which kind of bee's are the best?
Russian, Italian, Kona,etc.
Kenneth Lowry

Offline Horns Pure Honey

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Which kind of bee's?
« Reply #1 on: January 05, 2006, 11:36:14 pm »
That is up to the beekeeper themselves, we have tried to talk about this before. I like Italians but have worked buckfast and Russians and they are both pretty cool and good too. :D
Ryan Horn

Offline thegolfpsycho

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Which kind of bee's?
« Reply #2 on: January 06, 2006, 12:15:04 am »
The best ones are the ones that make big crops, but never rob.  Are slow to swarm, but build up quickly.  Handle cold winters and hot summers with ease.  They sting only when mashed, and quickly settle back down.  They are prolific wax builders, but keep the burr comb to a minimum.  They only use propolis to polish the woodenware, never glue anything together.  They handle both t-mites and v-mites effortlessly.  When you find them, let me know!!  I want some!!

There are slightly different management styles for different bees.  I have not been very adventerous, and have always stuck with the banded Italians. The knock on them is they are big eaters, and notorius robbers.  From my readings, the Russians frequently supercede the queens, and are a  little slow to build comb.  They are frugal with stores, but harrass you in the yard with head butting, and are a bit more irritable.  They claim a higher resistance to mites. The carnys have small clusters, but build up fast once they get going.  A frequent complaint I have read is excessive swarming.  A slightly different management style might solve that problem.  Also frugal with stores.  I have read a few reports of missing some flows because they shut down brood rearing in a nectar dearth.
Pick one or two and see what works for you in your area.  You can always change them by installing a new queen of the type you want to try.

Offline Michael Bush

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Which kind of bee's?
« Reply #3 on: January 06, 2006, 01:00:11 am »
Any will probably do well.   If you're up in the mountains or up North in CO I'd get the Carnis.  They'll work in colder weather and overwitner on less stores.
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Offline bassman1977

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Which kind of bee's?
« Reply #4 on: January 06, 2006, 01:55:33 pm »
I read somewhere (Beekeeping for Dummies, perhaps) that Italians are the best for beginners.  I guess because they are supposed to be a little less aggressive and easier to manage.  I have a hive of Italians and some survivors.  The Italians are definately less aggressive and I am quite fond of that hive (it was my first one).  I've been eager to try out the All-Stars, but am again going to hold off on that so I can do my small cell project this summer.
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Offline Finsky

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Which kind of bee's?
« Reply #5 on: January 06, 2006, 03:05:08 pm »
Quote from: bassman1977
I read somewhere (Beekeeping for Dummies, perhaps) that Italians are the best for beginners. .


I am same opinion. I had carniolas 10 years and they have difficult tencendy to swarm. It is beginners worst problem.

In Finland we use on Alaska level Italian bees. They overwinter well but of course origin must be from north that it is tested under winter conditions.

Your uninsulated hive boxes are the biggest consumers, not bees.
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Offline TREBOR

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Which kind of bee's?
« Reply #6 on: January 06, 2006, 06:10:46 pm »
I went and got 4 diff. kind of bees carni, russian,SMR and a northern breed Italian
just to try them all and do my own comparisions.
 
 I had some robbing this fall even while feeding inside the hives
my thoughts on what may have been happening is the carni and the russians
both cut back on brood rearing in the fall for a smaller winter
cluster to conserve stores, but the Italians did not. So, I thought that
may make the carni and the russians more vounerable to robbing,
 if they were all in the same yard that is.
   Next year I am moving my Italians to another yard far from the rest.
 
from what I have read the russians came from carni stock a long time ago, and have become climatized to were they are found and
 have been shown to have more resistance to v-mites.
 

 Join a bee club and see what the locals prefer !
  Thats my thoughts  :D

Offline gottabee

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Which kind of bee's?
« Reply #7 on: January 06, 2006, 08:13:35 pm »
I had 5 hives this year. 4 Italian 1 Ferel. Now have 2, 1 ferel and 1 Italian. Italians are into feeding and do require supstancial stores of honey. They can rob from a weak hive and do some damage if you dont monitor them. This happened in my yard.

I am very pleased with my Italians and Ferel bees. The loss of the 3 hives is mostly a result of some rookie mistakes. I plan to increase my hive count to NLT 12 hives this year. Most will be Italian. I have ordered SMR and All Americans for experimentation. I am very concerned about the remaining Italian hive with the prospect of more cold weather. It seems to me they are more succeptable to chill than the ferel bees. On two of the hives I found the ball of bees apparently chilled to death. Why I am still unsure.

Offline Finsky

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Which kind of bee's?
« Reply #8 on: January 07, 2006, 01:40:04 am »
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I could say that robbing depends what beekeeper does.  I have had different races in same yard and I have not noticed that robbig is race question.

Some hive just specialize to attach when honey calls. It is like volunteer fire-brigade to go out when it is alarmed. When you put extracted frames to hives at autumn what ever may happen. If you choose proper weather nothing happens.   You can take honey away and after care at evenging you drop those missing frames to hives.

When temperature is over 20C bees are really eager to robb.  If you handle them at 15C temperature nothing happens. But of course you have in south more higher temperature.

Offline Colorado Beekeeper

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Which kind of bee's?
« Reply #9 on: January 07, 2006, 01:06:07 pm »
Thanks guy's will prolly try Italians first then :lol:
Kenneth Lowry

Offline Horns Pure Honey

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Which kind of bee's?
« Reply #10 on: January 07, 2006, 03:55:42 pm »
I love them. What else can I say, lol :D
Ryan Horn