Buck Fast Abby Line

[wstanell]

I have two new lines of bees,  They are buck fast Abby line.   Originally breed from a monk Brother Adam of Devonshire England  
They are excellent very fertile and major producers. They were purchased from Weaver Apiaries in Texas.      I am really impressed with this line

Does anyone out there have them and what is your input?

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[biggraham610]

Tried to start a buckfast hive. Introduced a mated queen from R Weaver. My local survivors killed her and raised their own. shes doing well, but I might try a buckfast again in the spring. Good Luck Let us know how they work for you. G

[capt44]

In 2011 I bought 2 packages of Buckfast bees from B Weaver in Texas.
The first year wasn't too bad but the 2nd year lawd have mercy them was the meanest critters this side of the Mississippi Creek.
I finally re-queened the hives with Italian Queens.
They were so mean I'd have around a thousand stingers in my bee suit.
My nephew went out to a hive with me and I told my sister, dang I didn't know he could run that fast!
Anyhow the Arkansas State Apiary Board told me not to buy bees from that area for they had a lot of Africanized Genetics.
Anyhow my hives are a lot calmer now.

[Michael Bush]

I had buckfasts from 1974 until 2001... they were great... until 2001...

[BeeMaster2]

Michael,
What changed?
Jim.

[Michael Bush]

They turned vicious.  The meanest bees I've ever seen, and I've spent some time with bees in Arizona, New Mexico and the Caribbean.  I hope never to see bees like that again...

[biggraham610]

They turned vicious.  The meanest bees I've ever seen, and I've spent some time with bees in Arizona, New Mexico and the Caribbean.  I hope never to see bees like that again...

Wow, I think I will re-consider...........G...... :chop:

[Michael Bush]

I have NOT had any of them since 2001, so things may have improved.  But I had four hives of them and they ALL went ballistic at the same time.

[BeeMaster2]

I have NOT had any of them since 2001, so things may have improved.  But I had four hives of them and they ALL went ballistic at the same time.

Mike,
How close together were those hives. If they were close,  is it possible one hive was putting out enough pheromone to affect the other hives?
Jim

[Michael Bush]

At the time they were about ten or fifteen feet apart.  All four swarmed within two days of each other in the middle of a drought.  All four went ballistic shortly after and had to be requeened.

[Dallasbeek]

A friend went to Navasota about a month ago and picked up 2 Buckfast queens.  So far, his hives seem to be calm enough, but I guess the new queens' influence is just now being felt.  I'll keep up with them and report back.

Gary

[rober]

there's a group here in the st Louis area who are not buying any southern raised bees or queens. we're looking for winter survival & non African traits. I was looking for northern reared buckfast queens to give them a try. Ferguson apiaries in Ontario have some but the border fees make small orders impractical. a group buy would be the way to go.  here's the genetic traits Ferguson's bees have
http://fergusonapiaries.on.ca/queens-buckfast-stock/genetic-traits
home page
http://fergusonapiaries.on.ca/
I'm looking for her contact info but there's a woman at the univ of mn who did a group buy from Ferguson this spring but you had to be in mn to participate.
anyone know of a northern buckast source in the u.s.?

[Steel Tiger]

 I wish I read this post 1/2 an hour ago. I just buzzed by the hive on my mower and received about 10 stings for my trouble. This is my first multiple sting day.They chased me all the way up the field and into the front yard. I got several stings on my arms, one in the chest, one on the forehead and a few in the back of the head. They left some serous looking welts.
Needless to say, that hive will be requeened in the coming weeks.

[biggraham610]

I wish I read this post 1/2 an hour ago. I just buzzed by the hive on my mower and received about 10 stings for my trouble. This is my first multiple sting day.They chased me all the way up the field and into the front yard. I got several stings on my arms, one in the chest, one on the forehead and a few in the back of the head. They left some serous looking welts.
Needless to say, that hive will be requeened in the coming weeks.

They were Buckfast? From Weaver? G :chop:

[Steel Tiger]

They were Buckfast? From Weaver? G :chop:

Yep. Ordered from R Weaver Apiaries. As far as building comb and filling the supers with honey, I have no complaints. They're just more aggressive than the Italian bees that are in the hive next to them.
Maybe I'll clear an area in the woods and put them back there. Perhaps in a few generations, after mixing with local bees, they'll mellow out.
Anyone have any thoughts on that?

[biggraham610]

Glad my split balled her and made their own now I guess. I had one from R Weaver. They killed her quick. I was mad at the time. Good Luck. G  :chop:

[GSF]

Steel, did the exhaust blow in their direction? That'll drive them crazy.

[Dallasbeek]

R. Weaver and B. Weaver are different.  Maybe there's no difference in result, but they are different.

[biggraham610]

R. Weaver and B. Weaver are different.  Maybe there's no difference in result, but they are different.

Yeah, im aware they are different. but they came from the same place to start with I think. Regardless, Im starting to like the results im getting from my VSH open mated stock. They are getting some darker bees in the mix. Local I guess. Still a pleasure to work unless I ask for it. Like they say, they may be pedigreed to begin with but they are all going to be mutts in the end. G :chop:

[Michael Bush]

Back in the early 70s it was just Weaver.  Somewhere between then and the 80s it split into R and B Weaver.