buckfast

[mag]

has eny one ever tried buckfast? are thay eny good?

[HarryVanderpool]

Hey Mag!
A few comments:
I have been riding motorcycles for 38 years.
Once in a while I will overhear a conversation in which someone will say something like, "That bike has too much power". I'm always puzzled by that.
There is no such thing as too much power.
I have the same reaction when I see your mention of an "overactive queen".
I don't understand your meaning.
So lets say she is a killer queen and lays 1900 eggs daily. Thats just a really prolific queen!
My 2 cents; count you blessings and hope you have many more like her.
2 more cents?
Don't waste your money on exotic queens; you already have a great queen.
Rather, spend your hard earned dough on seminars, books, and fuel to travel to senior beekeepers locations to work bees with them and learn things first hand.

[Thom]

Another problem with buckfast is that you have to replace the queen every year with a new buckfast queen if you want to keep the traits. Once your buckfast queen hatchling comes when your hive swarms you don't have buckfast drones around to mate with her so the hydrid is over. She's a wild queen.

[Thom]

Here is the text on queens from the OSBA Beekeeping page.

Selecting Queens

Several races and hybrids of the honey bee, Apis mellifera, are available from queen producers. You can select the race or hybrid that best suits your beekeeping style, location and goals. Most commonly available races are: Italian, Carniolan, Caucasian and German Black. Most common hybrids are Midnight, Starline, Buckfast, and Yugo. There are others that are less common, not as available or little is known of their background or performance. It is good practice to ask the producer for any special information or date about queens produced; often a breeding program takes a back seat to simply producing queens for sale.

ITALIAN. The most commonly available race, Apis mellifera ligustica originated on the Italian peninsula, the only European bee with yellow pigmentation. They are short distance foragers, which means they are prone to robbing. They orient on color, so long rows of white colonies lend to drifting. Moderate spring buildup, peak summer populations and slow to shut down in fall can mean lots of winter bees - with the honey stores necessary for that. Low swarming is good, but can be temperamental.

CAUCASIAN. Apis mellifera caucasica evolved in the Caucas mountains near the Black Sea. Predominately dark, with gray or brown spots. Drones have dark hair, and queens are dark, harder to find. They are gentle, quiet on the combs and slow to build in the spring. Little swarming. Produces lots of propolis, but shut down early in the fall. They winter well.



CARNIOLAN. Apis mellifera carnica evolved in Austria and Yugoslavia, and most of Europe. The Yugo bee is of Caniolan decent. Build rapidly in the spring, they are heavy swarmers. Dark, with dark gray hair with some brown. Dark queens shut down in derths and early in fall. Calm and gentle, they forage in marginal weather. Robbing, drifting minimal.

BUCKFAST. A hybrid of several races, selected for gentleness, wintering, production and tracheal mite resistance. Available from Weaver Apiaries and some other outlets. Variable in appearance, queens tend toward leather. Moderate fast spring buildup, peak in early summer, good producers. Low swarming.

STARLINE. A hybrid of several stocks, all Italian. Fast spring buildup, lots of brood early means terrific honey production. Very uniform in appearance, they are slow to shut down in fall. Good commercial bee.

MIDNIGHT. A Carniolan/Caucasian cross. Moderate spring buildup, dark to dark gray, dark queens. Good in marginal weather and extremely gentle. Shuts down early in fall, winters well.

GERMAN BLACK. Apis mellifera mellifera. First bee in U.S., still very prominent in feral populations. Small, dark and mean. Very susceptible to foulbrood, but a survivor bee in many areas affected by Varroa and invasion of Africanized bees.

Africanized bees (Apis mellifera scutellata) have taken up residence in the southern reaches of Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California. These are undesirable bees because of their defensiveness and are not raised for sale.

[Roger Long]

I have one Buckfast hive and I like them a lot. While my Carniolans and Italians were swarming in May and June my Buckfasts just kept plugging away. I have heard that some of the Buckfasts from Texas can get really "hot", especially if they do swarm and requeen themselves.

They're a great bee for my area (Bend) because they winter small, build slow but really get cranking when the clover and alfalfa bloom here, and they work hard until those blooms are gone.

I've been trying to contact some of the Ontario Buckfast breeders, and I've sent several emails, made a couple of phone calls, and even called their coops business office, and have gotten not one return call or email. A strange group of people indeed.

Roger

[mag]

roger,
thank you for your input on buckfast. oh yah go to www.bee-commerce.com/packageBees2004.asp thay sell buckfast and several other hybreds.

Michael

[mag]

harry and throm,
thank you bolth for the info im still wondering wich type of bee i should try next year im hopeing to have 3-5 new hives built and ready for a new package of bees.

it shouldn't be to much to build my own hives i hope. but i might try ordering some carnolians i like what thay say in the books and i would like to see how thay do when there not so stressed out and havent got out on the rong foot. like mine did this year.

i like italians there great workers but the hole over wintering thing has me worried abou them surving the winter. if my friend who owns all carnolians loses eight hives in one year (that being this year) than i don't want to lose more than that because of italians. but ill see how myy hive of italians over winter this year. thanks agen

Michael