The Honey Factory

[duluthralphie]

Color me urinated off!!

I ordered a nuc of bees a couple months ago. If you recall I searched for bees that over wintered in Minnesota for several generations.

I found a guy and talked to him via text, he assured me he had bees that over wintered in Mn and that’s what I would get.

I got this email. Extremely Urinated, I am.

 

[R2elk]

Color me urinated off!!

I ordered a nuc of bees a couple months ago. If you recall I searched for bees that over wintered in Minnesota for several generations.

I found a guy and talked to him via text, he assured me he had bees that over wintered in Mn and that’s what I would get.

I got this email. Extremely Urinated, I am.
View attachment 2657074

Some people will say anything to get a sale.

 

[duluthralphie]

Some people will say anything to get a sale.

He won’t be getting a sale.

I might lose my $20 deposit... but I will make sure he loses more sales in the future.

I found a local nuc for less money that I can get on Monday....

 

[Apis mellifera]

He won’t be getting a sale.

I might lose my $20 deposit... but I will make sure he loses more sales in the future.

I found a local nuc for less money that I can get on Monday....

Ask him which apiary the queens came from. If he says "Weaver" I would take them. If he doesn't know or its some other apiary then I don't blame you, I wouldn't take them if he said they would be local.

 

[R2elk]

Ask him which apiary the queens came from. If he says "Weaver" I would take them. If he doesn't know or its some other apiary then I don't blame you, I wouldn't take them if he said they would be local.

If they told me I was getting Weaver queens, I would refuse them. I have never had meaner bees than their Buckfast bees. All they ever did was swarm and sting with not much honey production. They did produce more honey than Carniolans did.

 

[duluthralphie]

He now says the queens are hatched from bees that over winter in Minnesota.

The nucs come from Texas and the queens added here. Sounds sketchy to me.

but I sure don’t have the experience to know.

 

[R2elk]

He now says the queens are hatched from bees that over winter in Minnesota.

The nucs come from Texas and the queens added here. Sounds sketchy to me.

but I sure don’t have the experience to know.

It really doesn't matter where the worker bees come from since they are only temporary. The queen will determine what the hive becomes. If the queens are truly from local stock that was over wintered locally, that is the strain of bees that you will be getting.

 

[writerskramp]

Bees are very expensive these days.. something like $150.. Just to have them not make it through Winter and or Spring dysentery.. Now that 'THEY' took away your access to Tetracycline.. Started when the Tracheal mite showed up in about 1985.. I loved my bees. It was a stinging experience.. Once a bat decided to visit the hive.. bat guano. How did I know, just knew.. They were peeved.. Came out too warn me.. I ignored their first request, Second time there were more.. Third time was the charm, they got me.. Interesting how they get right between your eyes and go buzz, buzz.. I would have pulled the quilts from my bed to protect them had I known.. wife wouldn't have been happy, but who cares she was into extracurricular activity.. Lost all my darlings one freak winter night of forty-five to fifty below, documented.. No one saw coming.. not even the lying weatherman.. Put up a bee trap with the oil and all.. no luck. Have some once used hives.. Want to put them out with some starter foundation, plastic of course.. All that was available. Better get my behind in gear, it's almost first swarming season, not that I'll have any luck. As there is but one, two or three in the garden in over a season, but never say die.

 

[Apis mellifera]

If they told me I was getting Weaver queens, I would refuse them. I have never had meaner bees than their Buckfast bees. All they ever did was swarm and sting with not much honey production. They did produce more honey than Carniolans did.

Buckfast bees can run a little hot, just re queen. Saskatraz are a mix with Russ, carn, italian, buckfast, and VSH. So you really never know what behaviors you may end up with. If you are really looking for soft bees stick with Italians. I've had very gentle Italians that produced well years ago, but they aren't very hearty and dead bees don't produce anything (lots of fall brood and bees = lots of mites and viruses). There are trade offs with all the strains of bees and everyone's experience seems to be different. I've had really good luck with grafting from my Russian overwintered queens. They aren't always the best or gentlest bees, some defensiveness is normal with a big healthy colony, but they fill supers and overwinter great. That's good enough for me. I found with good management all bees produce some surplus honey (if there is forage) and swarming can be controlled. If a colony isn't producing some surplus honey or non stop swarming something is wrong.

 

[Apis mellifera]

He now says the queens are hatched from bees that over winter in Minnesota.

The nucs come from Texas and the queens added here. Sounds sketchy to me.

but I sure don’t have the experience to know.

Sounds a bit sketchy to me also. He is offering first pick up of nucs on the 14th. It takes about 30 days from grafting to have a laying queen and before that you need to make up cell builders. Plus drones in the area need to be mature and flying in warm weather. Most breeders wait at least a week after seeing first eggs to make sure queens have a good brood/laying pattern before selling. So he would have had to start queen rearing in late March. I typically cant start here until the last week of April, weather permitting. This year I wont be starting until mid May. Temps are to low and there's not enough drones flying yet.