Honey Bees

[KevinG]

We have a problem with those Africanized bees out here. I think they are partly responsible for the loss of the honey bees because they are more aggressive.

[BuyLowSellHigh]

we have Africanized too, and it may be part of the problem.  As I understand the commercial keepers end up with their hives quarantined, so they may have moved out of the area.  Probably not good for the farmers.

[KevinG]

It's things like that, that really upset me about scientists. It's their fault those bees were created and let loose.

[Caribou]

Of course I enjoyed the honey, but I also immensely enjoyed just sitting and watching the girls coming and going.  The colors of the pollen loads fascinated me and did a little research.  There are two books - long ago out of publication, that had color samples of the pollen loads and that plant they were from.  After a little search found both and would sometimes sit and compare the colors to see what they were working.  Of course the vast majority here was clover, but there was an amazing variety.  I really wished I still had them this year.  The locust are blooming profusely and the bees would make a very mild very light colored honey - one of my favorites.  The tulip poplar is in bloom right now and that was one of my other favs. 

BTW - there are some very good bee books that are classified as fiction that are really great.

City of Bees - from 40's but a look at a hive from a bees point of view - fascinating
A Book of Bees - Memoirs or a female beekeeper in Arkansas.  Informatice and side-splitting funny in a couple of parts.
Secret Life of Bees - sorta heavy but good
The Keeper of the Bees - decades ago I read  - about WWI vet and beekeeping in California
Chasing Bees - haven't read, but others say is good.

Thanks for the list Caney,
I've read Secret Life of Bees and loved it. But I will have to read the others you listed.  I think there is another book called The Queen and I that I heard about too.
I love sitting and watching them go in and out of hive and seeing the pollen they carry back.
Everyone I know around here says it's very tough to over winter them.
So far it's been such an education. :)
Carolyn

[Caneyscud]

The africanized bees (AHB's) are indeed more aggressive, and can and will take over European honeybee (EHB) hives.  They swarm much more frequently and even a small swarm can take over a hive.  However, that does not kill a hive.  The AHB's are actually preferred in Brazil as they produce more honey.  The Brazil beekeepers have been able to reselect calmer strains of AHB's.  Mexico has done much the same, however they have also learned how to breed first generation hybrids that are also much calmer.  In the states, managing hives by frequent re-queening with queens that have already mated with EHB's has proved somewhat successful keeping hives EHB.  But is very time-consuming and expensive when you own 1,000's of hives.

I did not have to worry about over-wintering problems.  I think my hives had to endure a couple of days of 0 deg.at worst.  I've seen some good advice on the net particularly from beekeepers in Alaska who are over-wintering their bees instead of starting over each year.   I think they were using some Russian queens to get the hardiness up.