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Author Topic: Any hands on with SASKATRAZ queens?  (Read 3875 times)

Van, Arkansas, USA

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Any hands on with SASKATRAZ queens?
« on: June 20, 2018, 07:07:51 pm »
The new wiz band honey bee pioneered out of Canada is the SASKATRAZ.  I have only read about these queens.  Do any beeks have actual experience with these bees, I would like to know your opinion??  Just curious.  The traits are:
Good honey production
Good wintering
Tracheal mite resistance
Gentle
Varroa tolerant/resistance and brood diseases

These are the advertised claims.  Kind of to good to be true to me, I am a skeptic, so I am asking if any can verify these SASKATRAZ honey bees.

www.sasketraz.com

Yep, it?s own web page.  I believe Olivarez Honey Bees is the only seller of this strain.

Oh on another note, I have Ehrlichiosis, tick fever from my bee yard.  I planted clover in my apiary, which attracted the deer, which brought in the ticks to my bee yard.  Dang ticks, this disease is the most awful thing I have experienced.  Two weeks later, today, I can now work my bees again.  Now I wear boots sprayed with repellent when I walk in my apiary.
Blessings

Offline rockink

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Re: Any hands on with SASKATRAZ queens?
« Reply #1 on: June 20, 2018, 07:40:46 pm »
Looks like Lappes is selling them also. These are sold out of Iowa and from CA..

https://www.lappesbeesupply.com/saskatraz-queen-bee-shipped-buy-3-or-more-get-free-shipping/

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Van, Arkansas, USA

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Re: Any hands on with SASKATRAZ queens?
« Reply #2 on: June 20, 2018, 07:59:40 pm »
Thanks Rock.  OHB uses the word {exclusively by Olivarez}

I?m just repeating what I read on their web site.
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Offline rockink

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Re: Any hands on with SASKATRAZ queens?
« Reply #3 on: June 20, 2018, 08:17:57 pm »
Yep, these are from the same place. Lappes is just reselling it looks like.

There are about 20 reviews and all look really good. I'm curious if any else has experience.

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Offline Acebird

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Re: Any hands on with SASKATRAZ queens?
« Reply #4 on: June 20, 2018, 08:41:21 pm »
Tracheal mite resistance
LMAO Really?  Going out on a limb here....
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Offline moebees

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Re: Any hands on with SASKATRAZ queens?
« Reply #5 on: June 20, 2018, 09:41:30 pm »
Bee-keeping is like raising Martians  - Isabella Rosselini

Van, Arkansas, USA

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Re: Any hands on with SASKATRAZ queens?
« Reply #6 on: June 20, 2018, 11:06:36 pm »
Moe, no doubt.  There are hundreds of similar or duplicated threads on this forum.

Van, Arkansas, USA

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Re: Any hands on with SASKATRAZ queens?
« Reply #7 on: June 20, 2018, 11:22:21 pm »
Ace, What saved Buckfast apiary was a {Tracheal mite resistance} itialian Honey bee.   All the original black native bees were lost at Buckfast, the original black bee is gone.  Brother Adam searched the world for for that strain.  So Buckfast raised the resistant Italians from that day on.

Now this day, I am not saying all itialian bees are resistant.

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Any hands on with SASKATRAZ queens?
« Reply #8 on: June 20, 2018, 11:36:12 pm »
I?m not sure about up north but here in Florida we don?t do anything to deal with tracheal mites. According to our bee inspector we don?t have problems with them. The bees take care of them.
Jim
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Offline JackM

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Re: Any hands on with SASKATRAZ queens?
« Reply #9 on: June 21, 2018, 08:57:27 am »
Well I did splits with them a month ago, nothing impressive or not impressive.  I do note a very fast build, one hive filled 3 frames with brood in a few days.  Other hives not so prolific.  Again, still very early to tell.  Lappes shipped quickly and no issues with them, the CA place wouldn't answer the phone.
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Offline Acebird

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Re: Any hands on with SASKATRAZ queens?
« Reply #10 on: June 21, 2018, 09:09:53 am »
I?m not sure about up north but here in Florida we don?t do anything to deal with tracheal mites.
I don't know anybody anywhere that does anything for tracheal mites.  Before the chemical companies could get involved the bees solved it.  They were a little quicker reacting to varroa so the problem drags out.
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Offline DuaneB

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Re: Any hands on with SASKATRAZ queens?
« Reply #11 on: June 22, 2018, 05:03:00 pm »
Thanks for starting this thread.  I've been curious about these bees/queens myself.   Sounds like they should be given some more time before anything conclusive can be made.

Offline JackM

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Re: Any hands on with SASKATRAZ queens?
« Reply #12 on: June 23, 2018, 09:56:18 am »
Did a hive check yesterday.  One of the splits is just gangbusters.  One is what I consider 'normal'.  The third has patchy brood in 2.5" diameter circles on various frames.  Almost like the queen needs to just chill out.
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Van, Arkansas, USA

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Re: Any hands on with SASKATRAZ queens?
« Reply #13 on: June 23, 2018, 03:27:50 pm »
Mr. JackM:  your texted are appreciated.  It appears you are the one and only with this strain so keep us posted fella.

Questions; gentleness and Honey production, would you post comment, Jack.  Thanks, Buddy.
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Offline JackM

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Re: Any hands on with SASKATRAZ queens?
« Reply #14 on: June 24, 2018, 09:32:49 am »
Yes, they do seem quite gentle.  They did well on the main flow for minimal sized hives.  I will not be harvesting any honey this year, concentrating on building.  We will see how they winter in our moist climate.  Will be starting feeding in a couple weeks for the balance of the summer so they will get a good start next year.
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Re: Any hands on with SASKATRAZ queens?
« Reply #15 on: June 24, 2018, 10:11:51 am »
Quote from van. Oh on another note, I have Ehrlichiosis, tick fever from my bee yard.

Mr Van, I had a friend that went to church camp in Hardy Arkansas a few years ago and came home very sick. Doctors here didn't know anything about tick fever and by the time they figured it out she died. Glad you are alright   Is this something that is prevalent in Arkansas or other regions as well?
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Offline paus

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Re: Any hands on with SASKATRAZ queens?
« Reply #16 on: June 24, 2018, 11:31:21 am »
I live in NE Texas, not far from Van.  We have Tick Fever very infrequently in my area.  A few years ago  it was common to get over a hundred ticks off anyone staying in the woods or grassland all day and tick fever was rare then.  This is rare but be aware.

Offline moebees

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Re: Any hands on with SASKATRAZ queens?
« Reply #17 on: June 24, 2018, 12:12:19 pm »
Moe, no doubt.  There are hundreds of similar or duplicated threads on this forum.

Don't moderators ever combine them?
Bee-keeping is like raising Martians  - Isabella Rosselini

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Any hands on with SASKATRAZ queens?
« Reply #18 on: June 24, 2018, 11:29:51 pm »
Moe, no doubt.  There are hundreds of similar or duplicated threads on this forum.

Don't moderators ever combine them?
Moe,
We have a constant influx of new beekeepers on this site and we are constantly getting the same questions and topics covered over and over again. I have been on other sites that have people get up set if you ask a question that was asked before. They expect you to do a search of every topic to find your question. Search engines are not that good. 
Here we just like to answer any questions our members have no matter how many times they have been asked. That is why I?m on this site and no longer on the other sites.
Jim
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Offline cao

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Re: Any hands on with SASKATRAZ queens?
« Reply #19 on: June 25, 2018, 01:34:36 am »
Here we just like to answer any questions our members have no matter how many times they have been asked. That is why I?m on this site and no longer on the other sites.
Jim
That is just one of the many reasons why I'm on this site and not the others. :grin:

Offline Acebird

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Re: Any hands on with SASKATRAZ queens?
« Reply #20 on: June 25, 2018, 08:30:39 am »
I have been on other sites that have people get up set if you ask a question that was asked before.

The irony is they really get upset if you answer a question that has been asked before because you know the answer because it has been asked so many times not because you have the experience.
And then there are the times when a newbie will ask one of those simple questions and get ignored.  Then you the one without the experience answers to get the ball rolling.  That does not happen here at all.  I have never seen a question ignored on this forum.
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