Интресная новая сравнительная информация (см. ниже) о Русских пчелах в Америке. Извеняюсь, что выкладываю ее на английком - устаю от компъютера так, что глаза на лоб лезут. Промт делает неплохой перевод. Сейчас направляю все свое свободное время на то, чтобы собрать всю доспупную информацию о Русских пчелах в Америке и Канаде. Пока свежую версию на английском можно посмотреть здесь:
http://www.beebehavior.com/russian_bees.php Всего хорошего.
Борис
Russian Bees
We’re located at the Northern edge of the Allegheny Mountains in Southwestern New York. It’s a cold spot (Nursery Zone 4). Due to the cool climate and ‘sour’ soil, our summer honey crops typically are very small. There is, however, a fairly dependable fall flow and good pollen sources throughout the season. We don’t make great honey crops here but our location does provide us with a good breeding environment.
We pack our honey crop. Summer honey is warmed to 110-120 degrees and filtered through 80-100 mesh nylon. A small portion is sometimes also packed raw and unfiltered. Our summer nectar sources vary from year to year, but may contain honey from dandelions, honeysuckle, Autumn olive, wild berries, locust, sumac, boneset, and Joe pie weed.
Our fall honey is always packed raw. It’s primarily goldenrod honey but with a considerable percentage of aster honey and some knapweed or knotweed honey also sometimes blended in by the bees. This honey crystallizes immediately to a fine, spread-able consistency.
Queens:
Our stock is now all Russian. We’re entering our sixth season of working with Russian bees and we’ve made some adjustments to our management along the way. They are different from other stocks that I’ve worked with. We are happy with their performance.
I want my customers to succeed. To do so, you may have to change your current management to work successfully with Russian bees. I hope the following comparisons of bees (generalizations) and the accompanying commentary will help by letting you know what to expect. These comparisons begin with a baseline of healthy Italian, Carniolan, and Russian bees.
A) Wintering ability 1 = best , 3 = poorest
1 -Russian, 2 -Carniolan, 3 -Italian
Winter honey consumption 1 = need least, 3 = need most
1 -Russian, 2 -Carniolan, 3 -Italian
C) Spring buildup 1 = earliest , 3 = latest
1 -Italian, 2 -Carniolan, 3 -Russian
D) Speed of buildup 1 = fastest, 3 = slowest
1 -Russian, 2 -Carniolan, 3 -Italian
Note the paradox between C and D. Russians are very late starting their big build up. They will just linger until both pollen and honey are available. This could lull you into complacency leaving you unprepared for their explosive buildup.
E) Swarming 1 = strongest impulse, 3 = weakest impulse
1 -Russian, 2 -Carniolan, 3 -Italian
You can sometimes get away with crowding Italians. Russian and Carniolans will readily swarm if crowded or honey bound. With both Russians and Carniolans you must consider supering earlier in their development (percentage of open comb). Along with this, super more generously if possible. Super even earlier with Russians, as their growth can be the most explosive. Swarming is not a problem with Russians or Carniolans if you know what to expect and you manage your colonies. Swarming is negligible in our outfit.
F) Bee populations throughout the year 1 = most bees, 3 = least bees
1 -Italian, 2 -Carniolan, 3 -Russian
G) Tracheal mite resistance 1 = most resistant , 3 = least resistant
1 -Russian, 2 -Carniolan, 3 -Italian
Russian bees are, by far, the most resistant to HTM. There have been some mites present in a few of my samples but they have not been a threat either biologically or economically in my Russian colonies. Russians require no treatment for HTM. Italians and Carniolans are both improving in this area. Some highly selected Italians and Carniolans are very resistant.
H) Varroa mite resistance 1 = most resistant , 3 = least resistant
1 -Russian, 2 -Carniolan, 3 -Italian
If you’re operating only pure Russian apiaries you should not need to treat every year for varroa. It’s too early to determine if an all Russian apiary can thrive indefinitely with no treatment. If you run mixed apiaries or Russian hybrids you will need to treat, though my experience indicates that you can extend the period between treatments. In all cases, the amount of varroa pressure from outside sources must be taken into consideration.
My previous stock was primarily selected for wintering ability, honey production, and tracheal mite resistance. If there was nectar available, they made a good crop. As we’ve transitioned from one stock to another (1999 - 2003) I’ve seen comparable production between the two stocks. As I’ve adjusted my management, my production is now probably higher because the Russian bees require so much less to winter on. (Note: If you leave too much winter feed on Russian colonies, you’re hurting your pocketbook as well as your bees' ability to thrive.)