Mixing bee varieties

[ugcheleuce]

Hello everyone

I currently have Buckfast bees but I want to start a Carnica colony (called "Carniolan" in the UK, I believe). I want to start the new colony by way of a brood split (i.e. a frame of honey, a frame of brood, and some bees, without a queen).

My question is: can I put a frame of Carnica brood into the new colony instead of a frame of Buckfast brood, and make sure that I break any queen cells that form on any of the Buckfast frames, to end up with a Carnica queen? Will my Buckfast bees accept the Carnica frame, and will they accept the Carnica queen queen when she hatches (since it was they that had fed her royal jelly when she was still in larve stage)?

Thanks
Samuel

 

[MartinL]

Maybe, maybe not!

Why do you want to move away from the Buckfasts?

"Carniolans" can tend to swarm easily. I tried to split a Carniolan hive with a bought-in Buckfast Queen... result, angry nuke and dead queen = £30 down the swanny!


Now looking to Cordovan or maybe Russian Queen. Not sure why cos they will inevitably cross with either my other hives, those in the pub chimney or the hives in the next village, (<1000maway)!

Just can't resist experimenting/meddling.

 

[ugcheleuce]

Why do you want to move away from the Buckfasts?

For mostly illogical reasons. The beekeeping club where I attend the beekeeping course this year uses Carnica. The beekeeping club where I attended the beekeeping course last year uses Buckfast. I might as well have some Carnica colonies to go along with what will be said during the year.

The pros and cons of Carnica versus Buckfast are known to me, although as a beginning beekeeper I don't think I'll experience them all. For example, it is said that Buckfast queens produce bees with unfavourable traits in the second and third generation, which is why Buckfast beekeeping involves continual beekeeper-aided requeening, whereas Carnica bees tend to keep their traits for several generations. This may be true, but I won't see it.

"Carniolans" can tend to swarm easily. I tried to split a Carniolan hive with a bought-in Buckfast Queen... result, angry nuke and dead queen = £30 down the swanny!

Was your split hopelessly queenless by the time you gave them their new queen, or did you drop in the new queen while they still had hope?

 

[Hivemaker.]

My question is: can I put a frame of Carnica brood into the new colony instead of a frame of Buckfast brood, and make sure that I break any queen cells that form on any of the Buckfast frames, to end up with a Carnica queen?

Yes.

 

[Bosleeu]

My question is: can I put a frame of Carnica brood into the new colony instead of a frame of Buckfast brood, and make sure that I break any queen cells that form on any of the Buckfast frames, to end up with a Carnica queen? Will my Buckfast bees accept the Carnica frame, and will they accept the Carnica queen queen when she hatches (since it was they that had fed her royal jelly when she was still in larve stage)?


Yes.



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[REDWOOD]

I requeened a Carniolan hive with a Buckfast/cecropia queen, they were more than happy to accept her

 

[Stiffy]

My question is: can I put a frame of Carnica brood into the new colony instead of a frame of Buckfast brood, and make sure that I break any queen cells that form on any of the Buckfast frames, to end up with a Carnica queen? Will my Buckfast bees accept the Carnica frame, and will they accept the Carnica queen queen when she hatches (since it was they that had fed her royal jelly when she was still in larve stage)?


Yes.



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If you re- queen in the correct way the bees will accept her. It doesn't matter if you put in brood from from a different strain. If it was mine I would make sure they were q- and introduce her, make sure they accept her and then release.
S


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[Bosleeu]

Thanks Stiffy

I agree, it was a failed attempt as a newly on the forum at quoting a question somebody posted then replying. Obviously you have that part sorted, using Tapatalk and struggling a bit. Let's see if this one works......

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