Where Do Our Bees Come From?
Most of our stock came from two sources: John Gates, Gates Bee Farm, and Ted Kay, Shuswap Honey. Both sources can be traced back to a provincial breeding project in BC over 40 years back under former provincial apiarist John Corner's initiative.
Keeping it simple, we breed for Spring build-up, brood pattern, gentleness and honey production. We use only organic acids and brood management for mite control. It's been nearly 20 years since either our bees or comb have been exposed to any kind of antibiotics, or chemical miticides. Our bees are not bred for colour or size. Roughly one-third resemble Carniolan (like the queen bee laying an egg in the photo above), and the rest resemble traditional golden/orange Italian. I guess that makes our girls beautiful mutts!
2023 Prices
4+ Frame Nucs (available late-May through early June) Less than 10 $395 each
Greater than 10 $365 each
Greater than 100 $350 each, contact for details
These are 4 frame nucs in a 5 frame wooden box. The 5th frame may be a frame of foundation, or if you are lucky it will be drawn right out! There will be a minimum of 3 frames of brood. Our boxes are made from plywood, cut at a local cabinet shop and assembled at our farm.
We fill orders through:
Central Caribou Beekeeper Association, in and around Williams Lake BC
Purity Feeds, Kamloops BC
ABC Bees/ Worker and Hive, Calgary AB
We encourage you to work with these fine people which help us as well.
Mated Queens (available mid-May through late August)
Less than 20 $55 each + priority shipping (Canada Post)
Greater than 20 $50 each including priority shipping (Canada Post)
Greater than 100 $40 each, contact for details
Greater than 10 $365 each
Greater than 100 $350 each, contact for details
These are 4 frame nucs in a 5 frame wooden box. The 5th frame may be a frame of foundation, or if you are lucky it will be drawn right out! There will be a minimum of 3 frames of brood. Our boxes are made from plywood, cut at a local cabinet shop and assembled at our farm.
We fill orders through:
Central Caribou Beekeeper Association, in and around Williams Lake BC
Purity Feeds, Kamloops BC
ABC Bees/ Worker and Hive, Calgary AB
We encourage you to work with these fine people which help us as well.
Mated Queens (available mid-May through late August)
Less than 20 $55 each + priority shipping (Canada Post)
Greater than 20 $50 each including priority shipping (Canada Post)
Greater than 100 $40 each, contact for details
Bill's Notes Regarding Breeding
I have read and pondered much regarding VSH and hygienic behaviour in honey bees. I am often asked if I worry about them in my selection. The quick answer is 'no' but I do feel the need to explain myself.
When I select breeders, I need my girls to be proven performers in my area, I need them to respond to my management (IPM), and lastly and possibly most importantly, they must be economically viable. Hygienic behavior was chiefly sought after to have colonies that could deal with large concentrations of American Foulbrood (Paenabilicus Larvae). Heavy concentrations of AFB are not often found in nature, it is often a result of poor management and old comb. Rothenbuhler ran into issues with in-breeding and had problems maintaining his stock. VSH formerly known as SMR, was tagged initially because some colonies were able to exist and not allow varroa mite levels to climb. Original VSH colonies could not even stay alive unless brood was added to them. These traits are extremely important but one needs to be reminded that whenever one breeds for a specific characteristic they are eliminating information that may be valuable in hopes that one characteristic is the answer. There is only so much that the bees can give us, one can simply not have the best honey production, best over-wintering, most gentle, fastest build-up, and be completely mite tolerant. Nature just doesn't work that way.
My bees are healthy, they are raised and bred properly, and they perform well in the North. Exactly how do they do that? I don't know, but I do know this; I only use organic acids (formic, and oxalic if necessary), I try to treat them well (good husbandry), and I don't take shortcuts when raising my queens. Because I sell nucs, my comb stays young, which I believe is important. I also trust that the bees are here to teach me, as in my beekeeping journey, I'm always learning!
When I select breeders, I need my girls to be proven performers in my area, I need them to respond to my management (IPM), and lastly and possibly most importantly, they must be economically viable. Hygienic behavior was chiefly sought after to have colonies that could deal with large concentrations of American Foulbrood (Paenabilicus Larvae). Heavy concentrations of AFB are not often found in nature, it is often a result of poor management and old comb. Rothenbuhler ran into issues with in-breeding and had problems maintaining his stock. VSH formerly known as SMR, was tagged initially because some colonies were able to exist and not allow varroa mite levels to climb. Original VSH colonies could not even stay alive unless brood was added to them. These traits are extremely important but one needs to be reminded that whenever one breeds for a specific characteristic they are eliminating information that may be valuable in hopes that one characteristic is the answer. There is only so much that the bees can give us, one can simply not have the best honey production, best over-wintering, most gentle, fastest build-up, and be completely mite tolerant. Nature just doesn't work that way.
My bees are healthy, they are raised and bred properly, and they perform well in the North. Exactly how do they do that? I don't know, but I do know this; I only use organic acids (formic, and oxalic if necessary), I try to treat them well (good husbandry), and I don't take shortcuts when raising my queens. Because I sell nucs, my comb stays young, which I believe is important. I also trust that the bees are here to teach me, as in my beekeeping journey, I'm always learning!
