HoneyBees are so adaptable: from Canada to Florida, from the Sahara (Sahariensis) to Russia; deserts to bogs, Mountains to Plains the HoneyBees survive. This adaptability secures the reasoning of the old joke about beekeepers: ask 2 beeks one question and receive 3 opinions.
To elucidate; The adaptability skew scientist in the pursuit of knowledge of the bees. Often, very often, I have studied the well performed scientific studies that lead one to a direct answer such as: isolation (100 feet) of a drone hive prevents drone drift. Well, that is not what I experienced. But why the difference of my own observation as well as others with controlled well documented data regarding honeybees? I believe the individual strain of a given bee such as:Lingustica, Carnica, Cecropia, Caucasica with many more, contributes to different attributes such as: honey produced, gentleness, swarming, natural parasitic control, wintering, Spring build up, queen rearing/acceptance thus altering the science data that was based on a particular strain.
Therefore beeks developed experience, opinions on a given strain that can vary from another beekeeper thus resulting in 1 question ask of 2 beeks and receive 3 opinions. It is not that we beeks are wrong rather the matter is the adaptability of the bees themselves that can vary from apiary to apiary.
I saw this adaptability of bees or lack thereof in my own apiary last year when my breeder queen was superseded at 4 years 2 months of age. My varroa control method of the past 4 years works great until I lost my hygienic breeder queen and replacement queens were common, not subject to natural control of Varroa. I lost hives as a result. In short, my apiary had a change of genetics although some would argue my terminology and suggest change in Family or Type, species instead of genetics. I would admit to my poor nomenclature.
The point remains: we beeks can differ in opinion and be correct, also the science data although correct can be corrected based on a given Species or family, strain of honeybees.
Look up queen rearing on YouTube and discover many methods as each author states the best method is...
Cold today, 32 this AM, so I am stuck inside and no bee or garden work so I thought I would some thoughts regarding:
1. Why so many different opinions.
2. Contrary to the latest data...
3. But the book says... one of my favorites.
Health to your bees.