What "race" are Minnesota Hygenics?

[Brian D. Bray]

Brian, I am curious here.  I would say that the Causasian bees that you kept for 8 years had some very undesirable traits with the holes in the foundation thing.  Did they have some other traits that were so excellent that you overlooked the destructive nature?  Or am I reading something wrong here. Beautiful day, great life.  Cindi

They were a pain the entire time I had them.  I was glad, that when I got out of the Army in 72, that they were no longer popular or readily available.

[Cindi]

Brian, why didn't you change the queens?  That would have burned me up having to look after something that was a pain in my butt like that.  Curiosity never got this cat.  Have a great day, Cindi

[Brian D. Bray]

Cindi,

In the late 60's things weren't as simple that way as it is now.  It was actually harder to purchase a queen than get a package of bees.  To get packaged bees all you had to do was order them from Sears & Roebuck or Montgomery Ward catalogs.  To find someone who was willing to sell just the queen was much harder.  Besides, I was determined to make them "work" like the Italians.  They did get a little better as the sucessive superceded queens were fertilized by the drones from my Italian hives.  I was trying to do with the bees what my brother was doing with his racing pigeons--selective breeding to improve the stock.