Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: Jerrymac on May 27, 2005, 06:32:13 pm

Title: Rethinking Needed
Post by: Jerrymac on May 27, 2005, 06:32:13 pm
I foound this site;

http://www.skepticfiles.org/faq/ahb.htm

Talks about the African Honey bee. A lot of what they say about the Africans is also what is observed in small cell beekeeping. They might think my small cell bees are AHB.
Title: Rethinking Needed
Post by: Barny on May 27, 2005, 07:55:14 pm
The report also states that ahb produce less honey, this is not true.  Africans are the primary bee in brazil, which has seen a substancial increase in honey production.  

So I guess the moral is "Don't believe everything you read"!  Not to say that the entire article is a farse, because it isn't.
Title: Rethinking Needed
Post by: Miss Chick-a-BEE on May 27, 2005, 08:16:57 pm
I didn't read the article, but you had said:

Quote
They might think my small cell bees are AHB.


I'm guessing you mean the state hive inspecters when you say "they". I was under the understanding that their are many ways to test for Africanized bees. I can't remember them all, but all the inspecters would have to do is test one of the bees to find out. Also, Africanized bees are very aggressive. So any hive you had that was THAT aggressive (which you don't want), could be tested.

Just thoughts,
Beth
Title: Rethinking Needed
Post by: Jerrymac on May 27, 2005, 09:56:04 pm
One of the field test is the size of the bee. Small cell makes small bees. EHB would be the same as AHB. They measure the cell size, AHB is 4.9 or less. Small cell is 4.9 and the smaller bees will build smaller cells from foundationless frames or starter strips. AHB flies directly into hive entrance, my do that, I have no landing boards. That one isn't completely accurate.

There was a whole mess of other stuff, like the emerging times are shorter etc etc
Title: Rethinking Needed
Post by: Michael Bush on May 28, 2005, 11:25:40 am
>like the emerging times are shorter etc etc

Which is also true of small cell.  The FABIS test seems like mostly a size test to me and it's what most inspectors do.  My inspector is aware that they are small cell and they have a good temperament so he hasn't had any reason to think they would be AHB.  But if I had a hot hive, and espeically if I lived in an AHB area, I would be afraid someone could come to that conclusion and before I regressed I've had hot hives.  Hot hives are not new since the AHB hit the news.  They have always existed.  What if I had a hive turn hot just before they got inspected and I didn't get them requeened and calmed down in time?  I am afraid someone could come to the conclusion that they are AHB.  Luckily I live far enough North no one is looking for AHB.
Title: Rethinking Needed
Post by: Barny on May 28, 2005, 01:11:24 pm
I'm sure some of the feral hives I manage have ahb genes in them.  It just will take a requeen and knowing which hive not to fool with "unarmored".  I think breeding them out is our best tool.
Title: Rethinking Needed
Post by: bill on May 29, 2005, 11:10:37 am
I live in the area that has ahb and I find the methods of recognizing them is not specific enough to really know whether I have them or not. I am not as yet able to find queens in any of my colonies. The swarms I have taken seem more gentle than the Hive that I started with. My requeening attempts have been pretty feeble so far( thirty two bucks wasted} I am looking for a fool proof way to isolate the queens, when I do I will requeen every thing but untill then I am going to keep collecting swarms, my bees in some colonies fly directly into the entrance, is that abnormal? anyway I am just going to the best I can
Title: Rethinking Needed
Post by: Wombat on May 29, 2005, 03:31:21 pm
I heard of an unofficial "Football Test":

Take a football, stand as far away as you can, and chuck the thing at the suspect hive hard enough to irritate the girls. The bees will be attracted to the foreign leather object and sting it. AHBs will have literally THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of stings left in the ball, whereas normal europeans will leave waaaaay less.

P.O.I.: This is not my "test" and I don't recommend this for obvious reasons...safety, substantial bee death, disturbing hive, etc!! Plus I'm new at this and am still earning my wings. However, a friend of mine told me about it and I thought it was an interesting approach!!  :o

Makes intuitive sense, though...
Title: Rethinking Needed
Post by: Michael Bush on May 29, 2005, 03:34:40 pm
>my bees in some colonies fly directly into the entrance, is that abnormal?

I don't think it's abnormal.  Mine always have.
Title: Rethinking Needed
Post by: Jerrymac on May 29, 2005, 03:35:58 pm
Who was it that said you breath on them. If they chase everything in the nieghborhood it is AHB.