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Author Topic: Super gentle Aussi bees?  (Read 2780 times)

Offline Genie

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Super gentle Aussi bees?
« on: February 11, 2019, 06:53:31 pm »
I started with my first hive 5 years ago.  I purchased it from an elderly member of our local Qld Sunshine Coast club when he retired.  It was an amazing hive, gentle, calm, productive, prolific with solid sheets of capped brood.  I could work the hive without smoke. If I lifted the lid they would continue working quietly away.  It even took six months before I got my first sting. 
Being a newbie I didn't realise what a gem I had. 

In my enthusium I multiplied and multiplied, regularly purchased new pure breed hygienic queens from multi sources.  I now have 20 hives which are doing well but I would give anything to have my gentle calm hive back. 

Did I dream it or are there other amazing hives out there?   If they still exist does anyone know were I can purchase this type of queen?
« Last Edit: February 11, 2019, 07:05:36 pm by Genie »

Offline eltalia

  • Queen Bee
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  • Posts: 1170
Re: Super gentle Aussi bees?
« Reply #1 on: February 20, 2019, 06:41:08 pm »
G'Mornin'... only to close this topic out I add the following as general info only.
Gentle Aussi(sic) bees just do not exist, Apis honeybees run across a number of
strains - none Australian.
Getting it (your drift)... it is the case Queen Breeders (QB) anywhere run their
own lines of genetics, and so it is part an' parcel of the research of supply a
QB whose apiary runs as you wish yours to run is where you will buy from, and
there are many variations in bee traits QBs select for to suit themselves.

In finding your way back to your starting point is going to take at least as long
as it did for the change from gentle to agro in installation across those 20
colonies were you to dedicate your efforts in reversing the genetics for defence.
Even the fast track method of requeening the whole 20 is going to see regression
sooner than later as those queens are superceded.
The long game is to change the genetics for your local, and to do that it would be
necessary to adopt many of the practices of the QB - a path not so many
honeybagders would stick with long term. Controlling the swarming urge being
just one the enthusiast is not so keen on installing across the apiary.

The short version of likely the most viable path in these situations is to requeen
the whole 20 after any Winter to then consistently remove drone cells (decap)
for a first generation - and of course prevent your new queens from flying with
a swarm.
Repeat every two years.

Where you buy from I can only suggest to make personal contact and observe
-  or maybe where a mate owns bees you desire ask them where they source
their Queens and between the two of you generate new queens
from purchase and cell grafting from the progeny of those bees transfering
the mated queens to your colonies.

Cheers.

Bill