Hello,
I keep bees in Northern Algeria near the Mediterranean. The local bee is the black Tellian. That species is very aggressive and swarms a lot.
We might have some swarms of other species and random cross-breeds but the most popular bee here is the wild Tellian. We are stuck with numerous small hives that do not give lots of honey. The bees don't give a darn about gathering too much honey, they rear lots of brood in order to swarm next April!
I'm thinking of keeping other breeds like the Italian or the Carniolan, they are available here. They swarm less and they are a lot more gentle.
Considering the climate with temperatures varying from 3 to 45 degrees and the short and violent honey flows, which of the before mentioned breeds is best for me?
Would they be able to thrive alongside those wild stingers?
One problem with trying to keep bees with genetics different from the local bees is F1 hybrid crosses when your bees raise their own queen and that pure Italian stock mates with the local Tellian stock. An F1 cross can be vicious where the local bees may just be a bit defensive.
Probably the Italians will do best of the two where you are as they are more tropical than the Carniolans.
Quote from: Michael Bush on April 05, 2015, 01:03:34 PM
One problem with trying to keep bees with genetics different from the local bees is F1 hybrid crosses when your bees raise their own queen and that pure Italian stock mates with the local Tellian stock. An F1 cross can be vicious where the local bees may just be a bit defensive.
Probably the Italians will do best of the two where you are as they are more tropical than the Carniolans.
Thanks a lot, Michael!
I'm waiting for two nucs of less aggressive local bees according to the seller. I'll try to learn rearing queens, I'm in the process of downloading one of your workshops from youtube:
Natural Beekeeping by Michael Bush
recorded by Larry Carbaugh
Olympia, WA (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIkImAykzl4Natural%20Beekeeping%20by%20Michael%20Bush%3Cbr%20/%3Erecorded%20by%20Larry%20Carbaugh%3Cbr%20/%3EOlympia,%20WA)