Selecting Bees for your Warre Bee Hive
The one place you really do not want to cheap out is on your bees (namely the Queen). Quality bees from a good source will make life a lot easier for the novice bee keeper and will save you money in the long term by saving you from having to treat your bees and replacing them as often from dying out due to disease .
Traits to look for in a bee breeder are:
-Long history of keeping bees without the use of treatments and medications. If the bees have been surviving without the use of medications then, in the majority of cases, they will have become naturally resistant to Varroa mites and other pests through the process of natural selection or "survival of the fittest", as it is often referred to.
-Look for breeders that select for hygienic behavior bees. These are bees that are able to identify diseased pupae and larvae and remove them from the hive more promptly and accurately than other bees. Often, this comes naturally with the above but it is a trait that can be selected for as well.
-A Bee breeder that practices organic bee keeping practices, whether they are certified organic or not.
-Ideally, the breeder of bees should be located in the same climate zone as your hive. For example, someone in Ontario should not buy bees from California due to the differences in winter climate conditions. Local bees will be better adapted to handle the cold winters.
-Buy local. Avoid shipping bees from overseas.
-They should openly mate their queens vs. artificial insemination.
-If possible, they should not be in close proximity to row crops.
Why Treatment free matters:
-Treating bees interferes with the process of natural selection. The process by which only the strongest survive long enough to reproduce and pass on their superior genes. This natural process has been going on since the beginning of life on earth and is the key to weeding out weak genetics that would otherwise reduce the species vigor and ability to survive. Natural selection takes place everywhere in nature and with every species with the exception of mankind and any species where mankind interferes with this process. When we treat our bees, preventing the death of a weak colony, that colony may then go on to reproduce and pass on their inferior genes to future generations. While it is hard to argue with the inconvenience, cost, feelings of sympathy of letting a weak colony die, treating the colony and thus perpetuating its weak traits will and has ultimately lead to the decline of the species.
Here is an example:
-Scenario A. Steve has 30 hives. He decides to treat them all in the fall for varroa mites using an organic acid. Spring comes around and Steve is pleased to find that 28 of his hives survived winter. He then makes 25 nucs by splitting his hives and then sells them to people like you and me. The other 3 hives were not strong enough to split.
-Scenario B. Brandon has 30 hives. For this example, say Brandon is starting with the same 30 hives as Steve. Brandon decides that he is not going to treat his hives. Next spring rolls around and Brandon is upset to learn that only 15 of his hives survived the winter. He pulls himself together though and ends up making 15 nucs by splitting his hives and then sells them to people like you and me.
Example discussion:
Now whose nucs would you rather buy? 10 of Steve's 25 nucs were made from colonies that would not have made it through the winter without being treated. Steve's other 15 nucs have queens that mated with drones from his 13 weak colonies that would not have made it though the winter without treatment. On the other hand, Brandon's 15 nucs are all from strong colonies. Notice that he was able to split a higher percentage of his hives. Brandon's 15 nucs have queens that have mated with drones from his other strong colonies thus ensuring a superior offspring and long term survival of the hive. Out of the gate, it is quite clear that Steve's bee business will be more profitable this year as he will sell more nucs and likely get more honey from his now more numerous production hives. As such, it is quite understandable why the vast majority of beekeepers medicate their bees and why we are in this mess today. Short term gain (more money now) for long term pain (decline of the hive and quality of bees). This is just one hypothetical, and likely somewhat idealistic, example but hopefully you get the idea and grasp the importance of the issue.
Towards treatment free:
Due to the chronic overtreatment and mismanagement of honeybees, it is fair to say that the species as a whole has been seriously degraded and in many cases it may not be possible to find a supplier of bees that is completely treatment free. Unfortunately, it is unrealistic to think that you can you can start with treated stock and expect to go treatment free right away (unless you are lucky). The process of honey bee decline did not happen overnight and healing the species will take some time. The following are some considerations when moving towards treatment free beekeeping.
- Obtain Nucs from treatment free or reduced treatment stock
- Feral colonies
- Natural cell size
- Monitor Varroa levels
- Split to create brood breaks
- Treat if necessary
- Raise queens from colonies that have less Varroa
- Keep strong hives
- Winter on honey not on syrup
-And more thoughts on this link
Organizations and companies that promote treatment free beekeeping:
While treatment-free, natural beekeeping methods have really taken off in the USA, you may be hard pressed to find a bee breeder in Canada that operates treatment free. We have started a list of breeders and organizations dedicated to treatment free and natural beekeeping to point you in the right direction. If you know of any other Canadian groups or companies that are missing from this list, please let us know so we can add them.
Ontario:
Debbee's Bees offers queens and has a long history of never treating their bees with anything.
Humble Bee offers queens and nucs. As they say, "We breed our bees for gentleness and hygienic behaviour (disease resistance). To ensure we produce the purest honey and healthiest bee possible, our bees are not treated with synthetic miticides or antibiotics. Our bees are located in rural and urban apiaries, and are not placed near crops treated with neonicotinoid insecticides".
I believe they do treat with organic acids however.
Quebec:
Apicentris is a community group dedicated to promoting backyard natural beekeeping.
None location specific:
Treatment free beekeeper group on facebook
Canada Beehives, helping to save honey bees one sustainable hive at a time. Canada Beehives is located in London, Ontario, Canada.
The one place you really do not want to cheap out is on your bees (namely the Queen). Quality bees from a good source will make life a lot easier for the novice bee keeper and will save you money in the long term by saving you from having to treat your bees and replacing them as often from dying out due to disease .
Traits to look for in a bee breeder are:
-Long history of keeping bees without the use of treatments and medications. If the bees have been surviving without the use of medications then, in the majority of cases, they will have become naturally resistant to Varroa mites and other pests through the process of natural selection or "survival of the fittest", as it is often referred to.
-Look for breeders that select for hygienic behavior bees. These are bees that are able to identify diseased pupae and larvae and remove them from the hive more promptly and accurately than other bees. Often, this comes naturally with the above but it is a trait that can be selected for as well.
-A Bee breeder that practices organic bee keeping practices, whether they are certified organic or not.
-Ideally, the breeder of bees should be located in the same climate zone as your hive. For example, someone in Ontario should not buy bees from California due to the differences in winter climate conditions. Local bees will be better adapted to handle the cold winters.
-Buy local. Avoid shipping bees from overseas.
-They should openly mate their queens vs. artificial insemination.
-If possible, they should not be in close proximity to row crops.
Why Treatment free matters:
-Treating bees interferes with the process of natural selection. The process by which only the strongest survive long enough to reproduce and pass on their superior genes. This natural process has been going on since the beginning of life on earth and is the key to weeding out weak genetics that would otherwise reduce the species vigor and ability to survive. Natural selection takes place everywhere in nature and with every species with the exception of mankind and any species where mankind interferes with this process. When we treat our bees, preventing the death of a weak colony, that colony may then go on to reproduce and pass on their inferior genes to future generations. While it is hard to argue with the inconvenience, cost, feelings of sympathy of letting a weak colony die, treating the colony and thus perpetuating its weak traits will and has ultimately lead to the decline of the species.
Here is an example:
-Scenario A. Steve has 30 hives. He decides to treat them all in the fall for varroa mites using an organic acid. Spring comes around and Steve is pleased to find that 28 of his hives survived winter. He then makes 25 nucs by splitting his hives and then sells them to people like you and me. The other 3 hives were not strong enough to split.
-Scenario B. Brandon has 30 hives. For this example, say Brandon is starting with the same 30 hives as Steve. Brandon decides that he is not going to treat his hives. Next spring rolls around and Brandon is upset to learn that only 15 of his hives survived the winter. He pulls himself together though and ends up making 15 nucs by splitting his hives and then sells them to people like you and me.
Example discussion:
Now whose nucs would you rather buy? 10 of Steve's 25 nucs were made from colonies that would not have made it through the winter without being treated. Steve's other 15 nucs have queens that mated with drones from his 13 weak colonies that would not have made it though the winter without treatment. On the other hand, Brandon's 15 nucs are all from strong colonies. Notice that he was able to split a higher percentage of his hives. Brandon's 15 nucs have queens that have mated with drones from his other strong colonies thus ensuring a superior offspring and long term survival of the hive. Out of the gate, it is quite clear that Steve's bee business will be more profitable this year as he will sell more nucs and likely get more honey from his now more numerous production hives. As such, it is quite understandable why the vast majority of beekeepers medicate their bees and why we are in this mess today. Short term gain (more money now) for long term pain (decline of the hive and quality of bees). This is just one hypothetical, and likely somewhat idealistic, example but hopefully you get the idea and grasp the importance of the issue.
Towards treatment free:
Due to the chronic overtreatment and mismanagement of honeybees, it is fair to say that the species as a whole has been seriously degraded and in many cases it may not be possible to find a supplier of bees that is completely treatment free. Unfortunately, it is unrealistic to think that you can you can start with treated stock and expect to go treatment free right away (unless you are lucky). The process of honey bee decline did not happen overnight and healing the species will take some time. The following are some considerations when moving towards treatment free beekeeping.
- Obtain Nucs from treatment free or reduced treatment stock
- Feral colonies
- Natural cell size
- Monitor Varroa levels
- Split to create brood breaks
- Treat if necessary
- Raise queens from colonies that have less Varroa
- Keep strong hives
- Winter on honey not on syrup
-And more thoughts on this link
Organizations and companies that promote treatment free beekeeping:
While treatment-free, natural beekeeping methods have really taken off in the USA, you may be hard pressed to find a bee breeder in Canada that operates treatment free. We have started a list of breeders and organizations dedicated to treatment free and natural beekeeping to point you in the right direction. If you know of any other Canadian groups or companies that are missing from this list, please let us know so we can add them.
Ontario:
Debbee's Bees offers queens and has a long history of never treating their bees with anything.
Humble Bee offers queens and nucs. As they say, "We breed our bees for gentleness and hygienic behaviour (disease resistance). To ensure we produce the purest honey and healthiest bee possible, our bees are not treated with synthetic miticides or antibiotics. Our bees are located in rural and urban apiaries, and are not placed near crops treated with neonicotinoid insecticides".
I believe they do treat with organic acids however.
Quebec:
Apicentris is a community group dedicated to promoting backyard natural beekeeping.
None location specific:
Treatment free beekeeper group on facebook
Canada Beehives, helping to save honey bees one sustainable hive at a time. Canada Beehives is located in London, Ontario, Canada.