i'm sure this has been asked many times here but please indulge a newbee. i was curious about other folks favorite breed of honey bee and why. i have no idea what mine are except that i put a russian queen in a queenless hive earlier this spring.
I like them all.
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesraces.htm
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfaqs.htm#beebreed
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesnewbees.htm#easythings
I like mutts. If you buy purebred, within a couple years you have mutts anyway. Might as well start with them.
:-D FREE :-D
sorry, couldn't help it.
I have no preference for purebreds anymore, especially the Italians because of their nasty instinct for robbing. I like Mutts and Ferals, but I will not rule out trying the Carnis.
I like the free ones that I have been getting with swarms that I have been catching. I got some Italians from Gardners that are above and beyond what I expected. I pretty much have most of the breeds and like them all.
1. Feral survivors
2. Carnolians
3. Italians.
Those are the only ones I have experience with.
I started with Italians this year, and I am happy with them so far. Cut out a feral swarm from an old garage yesterday, we'll see how they do. They are definitely mixed breeds.
This is my second year, trying carni's this year, as well as a cross of Italians/something, and Italians last year, and also Minnsota Hygenics. Being a new beek, I find them all the same so far. I even tried a hive of melafera melafera, mostly a black little bee, they were ok too.
Free Swarms. And whatever it is that is in my #1 and my #3 hive that are both producing like there is no tomorrow. #1 are small and amber yellow striped like my avatar. #3 are dark some almost all black and bigger and a little more tempermental that #1, but not much.
Been thinking about trying to do splits from them or something to get more.
Alfred
wild caught survivor bees from my area.
some are quite impressive!
bailey
The best bee to have is one that is climatically adjusted to your area and hygenic, ferals fit that description nicely but so do a lot of other bees. The best bees I have are the ones in my bee yard.