Apiary and Aviary

[VA Raptor]

I discovered many years ago that the German bees were very hardworking but were not friendly. I like the Italians. Not as productive as the German bees but friendlier. Anyone with similar views on bees? What has been your most productive? What has been your easiest to handle?

I just found this looking for a reply you wrote this Fall.

I find the imported Italians are hit or miss on temperament, but they make boatloads of honey! Our local hybrids (basically Italian/Carniolan/Russian) aren't nearly as productive or prolific - they go into winter with frighteningly small clusters, but they are great survivors. The locally-bred Carniolan/Russians have done well for us, being super thrifty and relatively self-sufficient. BUT, I find, we need to do a better job at keeping their numbers bolstered through the Summer dearth.

You didn't mention mites, but the Russians win hands-down on mite control. They have a reasonable attitude, but they do not play around with hive pests!

Now I have to go stress myself out about the hives we left in NoVA.

 

[ApiaryandAviary]

Please don't stress!
The bees will know.
They can smell stress 6 miles away.
LOL
I had not tried the Russian bees.
We have a problem. At the end of the season just before it turned cold, I saw my neighbor spraying. What he was spraying I do not know. But immediately afterwards our very healthy and prolific bees ended. Like an atomic bomb went off inside their houses. Not one bee in any house. Moths immediately moved in and cleaned out every cell on every frame. The end of all our bees. I was tempted to go knock on their door and ask what they sprayed but instead I held off AND the county did not notify us so we could lock them up. I am going to replace mostly everything inside hives and pressure wash the insides. They will not be getting honey at Christmas time nor will anyother neighbor as days of yore.

Which reply of mine this fall?
Sometimes we find resolve & finish up conversations private messages.

 

[VA Raptor]

It was something about bees couldn't remember what it was about, so I wanted to go back and look. Would help if I could remember which thread it was....

I'm sorry to hear about the spraying and your loss. I know people have their crop livelihoods and all, but if they know you have bees, couldn't they have just tell you they would be spraying? At least you would have been able to close up the hives and mitigate some damage. And no, I wouldn't give them a drop of honey either!!!! Maybe send them a note for Christmas saying you're sorry there's no honey, but their spraying killed your hives.

Poor bees. Any comb/wax (assuming the wax moths left you any) and honey left over is pretty much useless.

Guess you can't even feed the moth larva to the chickens. Hope the woodenware is salvageable

I am so sorry. PM me in the Spring. If we are close enough and my colonies overwinter, maybe I can help you rebuild.

 

[ApiaryandAviary]

It was something about bees couldn't remember what it was about, so I wanted to go back and look. Would help if I could remember which thread it was....

I'm sorry to hear about the spraying and your loss. I know people have their crop livelihoods and all, but if they know you have bees, couldn't they have just tell you they would be spraying? At least you would have been able to close up the hives and mitigate some damage. And no, I wouldn't give them a drop of honey either!!!! Maybe send them a note for Christmas saying you're sorry there's no honey, but their spraying killed your hives.

Poor bees. Any comb/wax (assuming the wax moths left you any) and honey left over is pretty much useless.    Guess you can't even feed the moth larva to the chickens.   Hope the woodenware is salvageable

I am so sorry. PM me in the Spring. If we are close enough and my colonies overwinter, maybe I can help you rebuild.

Thank you for caring. Again it is like one chicken owner to another chicken owner, like wise, beekeeper to beekeeper... No one really understands except those that have walked in our shoes. Again thanks. ReMe