I know through the years there has been talk of buckfast queens on the forum.
i'm hoping for an up-to-date answer: where can i buy buckfast queens (besides texas).
I live in Kentucky. interested in purchasing 2-4 buckfast queens for my own breeding/experimentation
There is a Canadian firm, Ferguson, who sells Buckfasts. But the paperwork to import queens is cumbersome, so unless you want a lot or can piggyback on a shipment someone else is getting it's not very practical.
I did a search too.
Texas, Canada or Europe.
I thought their availability was more wide spread. Is that because of patents?
so i guess the question now is: who is ordering a shipment of buckfast queens from Canada that i can piggyback off of?
or are there enough interested parties that we could start a larger shipment?
i was thinking about add some buckfast genetics last year but could not find anyone that wanted in on an order where are you located
Louisville, Kentucky (don't hold that against me - i'm not from here) LOL
Alan,
I'm in Lawrenceburg Indiana, about 1.5 hrs away from you.
I would be interested in working something out next winter, I have all my orders in for 2015.
Joe
Why not Buckfast queens from Texas? Have I missed something?
Merle
from my research - buckfast queens from Texas have a risk of having some africanized genes in the gene pool. i've heard of several people who ended up with crazy hot hives that they had to get rid of, often times they would kill whatever queen they would try to re-queen with.
>Why not Buckfast queens from Texas?
First they probably are not really "Buckfast" anymore and second the last ones I had from there were the most vicious angry bees I've ever seen...
Quote from: mlw on January 07, 2015, 10:15:22 PM
Why not Buckfast queens from Texas? Have I missed something?
Merle
I got Buckfast from Texas last year. They were extremely productive but much too aggressive. I split them, requeened with Carniolan queens and put the Buckfast out in the woods away from everything. If they survive this winter, I'll make a better clearing in the woods to keep them.
It hard to kill something that produced as much and as fast as they did. It took less than 3 months for them to draw out a deep and 4 mediums worth of frames.
so, Steel Tiger - when you say aggressive - how aggressive were they?
my hives are split across three properties (people's back yards). i can't have aggressive bees.
just heard back from ferguson apiaries in Canada.
queens are $35 a piece, with $90 a package shipping/health fee (regardless of whether you get 1 or 100 queens).
if there is anyone in my area that is interested - please let me know.
their queens come from Denmark.
A guy here in the Commonwealth smuggled three in a couple of years ago.
I saw them. They looked "normal", just like any other queen. I took one of his old Spartans.
I haven't heard from him in a while.
There's no hiding today. Big Brother is watching.
I hope he's OK.
Sal
that's too funny.
i remember when we went to Canada - had a harder time going over, than coming back. they freaked out because we were spending a week in Canada, but only had hotel reservations for 3 days. tried to explain to the border patrol that we like to play it by ear and go wherever we find something interesting. apparently a young couple and 3 kids driving around Canada was cause for suspicion.
I can totally see bringing back a few queens.
my long-term goal is to replicate some of the breeding strategies of Brother Adam and continue with a local supply of Buckfast bees here in the US.
>$90 a package shipping/health fee
>I can totally see bringing back a few queens.
Pay the $90. Your phone call to your lawyer will cost more than that...
$90 is cheap insurance/tax. My in-laws drove up and looked at Niagara Falls a few years back. They decided to take an unplanned trip into Canada and completely forgot about their backup cash and handgun in the glove box until the officer asked about weapons. They were lucky and only lost the gun, $500-1000 cash (the officers said they didn't find any cash), a lot of sweat, and a couple of hours.
Hi guys,
I get a couple of queens(Buckfast) from Ferguson Apiaries every summer. Very docile,I work in short sleeve shirt,have no gloves and use a veil rarely. Good produvers too.
But then,I live in Alberta.
Have a good year y'all!
Cor Van Pelt.
Alan,
I just got this in my email tonight. I put myself on their mailing list but I don't remember why.
Hi,
Please find attached 2015 price list for packages, nucs and woodenware for
yourself and other beekeepers. Italian packages are only available this year,
as in the past 1 extra queen is provided for every 10 packages ordered.
Packages are from Georgia this year. Packages and Nucs are inspected and have
Health Certificate before pickup. I will also have Nucs with Italian or
Buckfast queens and complete hives available in May made up from my survivor
stock here in Kentucky. Package pickup dates this year are April 10 or 11,
2015. Additional Italian Queens are also available. Also, Buckfast and Russian
queens will be available, please call or email for details.
References provided on request.
Italian packages: bees are relatively gentle and calm, Good brood rearing that
provides a large population for nectar collection, did very well last season
with overall customer satisfaction.
If you have any questions please feel free to email or call me at 859-620-3174
or email
[email protected]Thanks for your time, interest and support,
Jack & James Hunt
Quote from: Alan on January 08, 2015, 10:58:55 AM
so, Steel Tiger - when you say aggressive - how aggressive were they?
Whenever I went into their hive, they were all over me. I mowed near them and they attacked. I got nailed a dozen or so times before I got away.
I'll be keeping them in the woods if they survive the winter and hope the deer don't knock them over.
thanks jvalentour,
i emailed them and asked.
i'm curious to see where their stock of buckfast comes from.
>how aggressive were they?
Mine were back in 2001 but they would hunt me down days later at my back door, which is not even in the line of site of the hives and well over 100 yards away, and sting me as I walked out the door. If you approached the hive from the BACK, they would come pouring out. If you popped the top, you couldn't see out of your veil for the ones clinging to it and poking their stingers through. You could see the venom dripping off of them and smell the banana smell. To lose them I had to walk through some close cedar trees and then run for the house and then brush off the clingers and then go in the house and have people tell me where the bees were so I could brush them off and step on them...
Vicious.
yeah - that's kind of what i'm hearing.
the guy here in kentucky says these are his buckfast that have survived - mutt mix with carnolian and itallian. he said they can get a little hot.
don't really want to take those chances. if i had a hive like what you were describing Michael, i'd have to get rid of them.
>if i had a hive like what you were describing Michael, i'd have to get rid of them.
I requeened them, but I was certainly considering extermination... I just don't know how to give up...
If I had survivors that were "a little hot" I'd probably get rid of the old queen and let them raise a new one and hope she will be better. Usually they are.
We were called to help out a guy that said the bees ran him in the house a stuck all over the front door. We went at night and sealed them up and took them to a remote area in the woods. They were hot but they work like crazy on honey or you if you stir em up. They calmed down a bit last fall. They may have re queened themselves.
True - I often hear that "HOT" bees are good workers. Mine are in people's back yards though -- I really can't have that - not without problems.
CBT, you need to contact Don Hopkins at (336) 376-8250 or
[email protected]. The lead state bee inspector.
He will take a few to sample for AHB. Then notify you of the results. All free.
Much better than the fine if you are caught knowingly keeping AHB. It is against the law in NC and they frown upon it quite strongly.
". They calmed down a bit last fall."
i had a hive do that also started out nice then get cranky then calmed down again. someone told me that bees get that way when they work alfalfa not sure how true it is but thats what i heard
Troy,
I do not recall where I read something similar but in one of the books, it said that certian flowers do cause that problem.
maybe Michael remembers who said that. I am pretty sure it was of the older books from the early 1900's.
Jim
I had 2 packages of Bees from Texas (Buckfast) and they were gentle at the start but then a month or so later them gals were mean'ern a wet banty hen on Sunday.
I've had those hives in place now for 4 years.
I requeened them the second year and they have since calmed down a lot.
I now use Italians.
Exactly what i've been hearing capt44.
from what i understood - it has to do with the genetics passed on via the females and via the males.
since drones have no fathers, they carry 100% of the mother's genes. so when you take a virgin queen and mate her - you end up with more of the characteristics of what was on the drone's side.
>True - I often hear that "HOT" bees are good workers.
Hot bees are good robbers...
Quote from: Steel Tiger on January 08, 2015, 10:17:09 PM
Quote from: Alan on January 08, 2015, 10:58:55 AM
so, Steel Tiger - when you say aggressive - how aggressive were they?
Whenever I went into their hive, they were all over me. I mowed near them and they attacked. I got nailed a dozen or so times before I got away.
I'll be keeping them in the woods if they survive the winter and hope the deer don't knock them over.
:grin: I ordered one from texas, didnt realize my girls had already started and emergency cell, they mauled her and tossed her quick. Guess they did me a favor....... lol...... funny thing is, whoever mated that virgin musta been a handfull, cause they are my hottest bees now, almost too hot, but they are getting a pass for now. will see what the spring brings. G
Quote from May 2014 "My father in law started with a hive from a swarm that my father hosed down to get rid of it real quick. It swarmed at the beginning of a large family party for my daughter. My dad told him it would be a hot hive and it was always hot and always the best producer for about 20 years."
G,
That hive got a pass for 20 years. Every time I went over to my father-in-law's house he would comment about about that hive and how aggressive it was. For the rest of the 20 hives he had he would not wear any protection but he had to wear it for that hive.
This was long before AHB's made it to the U.S.
Every time I saw that hive it was always the biggest hive in the yard, usually as tall as me.
Jim
I hear ya Jim, thats why Im waiting to see, it seems to be the strongest or at least 2nd strongest of my remaining hives so far through winter. I will deal with em if they prove to be strong survivors. Just have to tighten up the sleeves a little. :wink: G
>Why not Buckfast queens from Texas?
Have 3 hives that are Buckfast from TX . Great producers and, winter well but are meaner than mean.
Just walk up to the hive and they will hit me and will even follow me back to the house 500 feet away.
This spring will be splitting those hives 4 ways pinching the queens and re-queening them.