# Buckfast



## George Fergusson (May 19, 2005)

I was given a Weaver Buckfast queen last spring. They still call them Buckfast, but I don't know how close they are to real Buckfast Abby queens any more. I undertand that no new stock has been imported in some years. They seem to be fine bees so far- they built up well last year and survived the winter in fine shape. Ask me again next fall.

There was another thread about Buckfast queens a few months ago. If you search for it, you'll surely find it.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

You can buy Buckfast queens in Ontario.


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## Brent Bean (Jun 30, 2005)

I started beekeeping with R. Weaver Buckfast they were good bees until they superceded the queen then they got aggressive I have read this is not uncommon for hybrids. If you want good queens try Parvis borthers.


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## beegee (Jun 3, 2003)

One of the guys in my former bee club had Buckfasts. They were so mean you couldn't get within 100 yards of them. That sorta scared me off them. I have since read that the so-called Buckfast bee that is commonly sold here is not the same as Brother Adam's bees. I guess the stock has gotten interbred so much that there is not much left that resembles the Monk's product. If I knew where to get some "pure" strain, gentle and productive Buckfasts, I'd be tempted to try them.


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## beegee (Jun 3, 2003)

I emailed Buckfast Abbey. Here's their reply:


> Every year we have an unknown quantity of random tested mated queens. This next season price will be £ 28.50, this include first class postage and travelling cage. With every queen we send 10-15 nurse bees. The queen bee can live about 5 days.
> These Buckfast queens are available from June till mid July, depending on availability according to seasonal weather variation. If you like, send us your details so we can put your name on our list.
> Best Regards.
> 
> ...


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

>I emailed Buckfast Abbey.

I wonder what they would have to say concerning Buckfast bees sole in North America. Just how "Buckfast" are the queens raised in Ontario.


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## Phil Minnesota (Mar 3, 2006)

*Buckfast Breeding.............*

I got 4- 3lbs Packages last year from Texas. 

1 built up fast enough in 7 weeks to swarm out of a double brood box. Boxed the swarm and left the original hive to finish raising a new queen.

1 progressed in what I would consider ' normal' fashion.

2 had queens that didn't lay worth a hoot and never progressed. Should have ( my life has alot of these) killed off the bad queen and let them do their thing. 

So, now I am through winter with two hives. Lost one over winter. The swarm and the original hive.

The offspring hive has the best temper and produce like mad. I know this seems to be the opposite of general rule. But I'll take it.

Look at the AHB Map for the U.S.

http://www.ars.usda.gov/Research/docs.htm?docid=11059&page=6

These breeders/ producers areas are going to get some AHB trait whether the area is drone flooded or not. I think that these bees may have been unique in the past but not so much now.

Getting 4 Carnolian and 2 Italian Packages around the 3rd week in April. 

I'm just not sure U.S. Buckfast are worth the money right out.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

*Fall introduced B. Weaver Buckfasts*

Introduced four on 10/6/06. All Survived the winter, but are languishing.


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## thesurveyor (Aug 20, 2002)

Can they be ordered from The Abbey? If so, do you think they would survive the shipping?

I agree that what is being produced here may have some traits that were not original. So, that brings the question, how do we get the real deal again.

Thanks
TheSurveyor


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## Aspera (Aug 1, 2005)

thesurveyor said:


> Can they be ordered from The Abbey? If so, do you think they would survive the shipping?
> 
> 
> My understanding is that the Abby no longer maintains Brother Adam's selection method and that Denmark is currently the best place to get Buckfast stock. The Canadian breeders probably got their's from Denmark, but they are difficult to import unless you order larger lots of queens.


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## Aspera (Aug 1, 2005)

PM buckbee, I think that he has worked at the Abby and is the beesource expert on their current methods/bees.


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## thesurveyor (Aug 20, 2002)

I sent PM to Buckbee, gave him the link to the thread, maybe he will post or reply to the PM.

Will update if the PM is received and not posted.

Thanks
TheSurveyor


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## BTH (Feb 13, 2005)

I currently have the Buckfast Queens in 2 hives from last year. Both overwintered well, but I will be replacing them with Italians in 2 weeks. I have worked the hives last year without a veil on numerous occassions, no aggressiveness in my observations of the Buckfasts. I don't believe they would pass Brother Adams' standard if he were alive today. Not a bad bee.


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## thesurveyor (Aug 20, 2002)

BTH, how productive were they? What do you think would cause them not to pass Brother Adam's approval?


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## HoneyBeeGood (Mar 20, 2005)

*Denmark Buckfast web site*

See http://www.buckfast.dk/uk.htm.


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## thesurveyor (Aug 20, 2002)

Can those queens be shipped to the US. I emailed the contact info on the site. I have not heard back from them. Will post update if I get response.

Thanks for the info. Keep it coming, I am really trying to find some for my fellow beekeeper. He is 93 years old and still going strong. He thinks the computer is great, but would rather me use it, he said he was too old to start with it now. So the quest continues.

Thanks
TheSurveyor


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## BTH (Feb 13, 2005)

thesurveyor said:


> BTH, how productive were they? What do you think would cause them not to pass Brother Adam's approval?


They did not draw out all the foundation in both deeps last year, the Italians would have. I had a feral swarm next to them, they have had 2 deeps and a super drawn out by Sept., I caught them in April. There was one and only one person on this earth who perfected the Buckfast and that was Brother Adam, I'm afraid the Buckfast went with him when he passed on. Just my two cents.


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## beegee (Jun 3, 2003)

I'd be willing to order 2 Buckfast queens from the abbey, just to see how they do. About $60.00 for two queens is a tad high, so I just hope they would survive an air-mail trip.


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## thesurveyor (Aug 20, 2002)

I would order two also. Any ideas on how hard it is to get them to the US?


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## Chrissy Shaw (Nov 21, 2006)

*1984*

I tried five in 84 when Weavers were running the big Island and those bees went from nucs in western Washington to filling a couple deeps each on fireweed and canadian thistle. They were not too mean, they had the black bee habit of slidding down the frames when you went in the brood and festooning on the bottom bar, but they really had solid brood and they were in the stock i sold out in 85, so they wintered well too.

Chrissy


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

You can't import Buckfast direct to the US from Europe. The importation law from 1922 still applies. You can import Buckfast queens from Canada. They are reasonably pure and very productive. Search for Montoux Buckfast on google and you will find a link to his phone numbers and email. You might also contact www.munrohoney.com about their queens.

Fusion


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## thesurveyor (Aug 20, 2002)

Has anyone tried the Canadian Buckfast. It would be nice to get the pure stock, but if not importable, then will have to find another option.


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## buckbee (Dec 2, 2004)

*Buckfast queens*

I worked at Buckfast Abbey from Nov 2004 to Nov 2005, so I have no up-to-date, first-hand knowledge of the best breeders to buy from. 

I do know that when I was there the Abbey bees were a very mixed bunch. Brother Adam's system had fallen out of use since Peter Donovan retired and matings were happening pretty much at random. The surviving 'real' Buckfast bees were very docile, almost never stung and produced a good crop, but some of the random mongrels were very nasty indeed. I believe that this is common when a pure strain is out-crossed, whether it is Buckfast or otherwise. Good luck if you buy them from the Abbey.

I was told by someone at the Abbey that Weavers no longer had official sanction to sell their bees as 'Buckfast' as they had not paid the royalties - but I cannot guarantee this is true. I do know that there are several reliable Buckfast breeders in Europe, but that doesn't help you guys across the pond. All I can say is that, if they are mean, they ain't real Buckies!


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## thesurveyor (Aug 20, 2002)

Buckbee,

Thanks for the response. Do you have any suggestions on any Canadian buckfast breeders?

I am saddened to hear all those years of research have been pretty much lost. So this leaves the question, Is there any of the true bloodline left?


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## BTH (Feb 13, 2005)

buckbee said:


> I worked at Buckfast Abbey from Nov 2004 to Nov 2005, so I have no up-to-date, first-hand knowledge of the best breeders to buy from.
> 
> I do know that when I was there the Abbey bees were a very mixed bunch. Brother Adam's system had fallen out of use since Peter Donovan retired and matings were happening pretty much at random. The surviving 'real' Buckfast bees were very docile, almost never stung and produced a good crop, but some of the random mongrels were very nasty indeed. I believe that this is common when a pure strain is out-crossed, whether it is Buckfast or otherwise. Good luck if you buy them from the Abbey.
> 
> I was told by someone at the Abbey that Weavers no longer had official sanction to sell their bees as 'Buckfast' as they had not paid the royalties - but I cannot guarantee this is true. I do know that there are several reliable Buckfast breeders in Europe, but that doesn't help you guys across the pond. All I can say is that, if they are mean, they ain't real Buckies!


Wow ! At what capacity did you work at the Abbey ? Must have been a priviledge to .


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## buckbee (Dec 2, 2004)

I worked as a beekeeper... or was that not obvious? Privilege - perhaps. For sure it was educational!

Part of my interview was to demonstrate a hive inspection at Bro. Adam's old mating station on Dartmoor - miles from anywhere. My interviewer, a beekeeper of some 25 years' experience, collapsed after a single sting and went into anaphylactic shock. I had to run across a field to a nearby farm and call out the air ambulance (aka helicopter) to rescue him. They turned up within minutes and gave him adrenaline and took him off to hospital. So, having 'saved his life', I guess they had to give me the job!


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## thesurveyor (Aug 20, 2002)

Anyone know how to get Buckfast across the pond?

Thx


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## tony350i (Jul 29, 2005)

Buckbee,

Do you have a contact number for the queens at Buckfast Abbey please?


Regards Tony


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## buckbee (Dec 2, 2004)

The main switchboard is 01364 645550 - they will put you through. I trust you read my post...


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## Albert (Nov 12, 2006)

*Why Buckfasts?*

Hey guys,

Other than being able to say, "I have Buckfast Bees.", what would having them resolve? If they aren't following Brother Adam's protocols anymore, it would not be worth the time nor effort. It's a darned shame really.

Might you not be better off checking around for some docile and productive local bees born and raised in your geographic area? (Another reason why more of us should be raising queens!)

Just my 2cents.

Regards,
Albert


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## thesurveyor (Aug 20, 2002)

You are correct. I was just trying to help a fellow beekeeper find some that were as pure as what he had 10 years ago. He really like them, but I think you are right the traits that Brother Adam had with his, have probably been diluted to the point, no one, knows what they are getting.

All that research, for naught.

I guess I will convince him to try NWC. They seem to have about all the traits that Buckfast had. I help him, because he is 93 and cannot lift the heavy boxes anymore. One thing is for sure, he has a knack with the bees. He can work them and they rarely ever get upset. He and I have Russians and they can be temperamental, but believe it or not, they do not bother getting fussy with him. Wish I could say they were the same with me. Don't get me wrong, they are fairly gentle, but their temperament is tried very quickly on less than perfect days. Sounds almost like some people I know.


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## Kieck (Dec 2, 2005)

> All that research, for naught. -thesurveyor


Yep. Sad, isn't it?

I worked with a fellow a couple years ago who tried to live by, in his words, a "hit-by-a-bus" theory. His belief with his research was that it needed to be in good enough order and clear enough (all written down and documented) that if he got "hit by a bus" and killed at any time, the next person could pick up his research exactly where he left off.

Of course, if no one picks up where the first left off, all the record keeping goes for naught, too.


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## kc in wv (Feb 1, 2006)

*Never too old*



thesurveyor said:


> He is 93 years old and still going strong. He thinks the computer is great, but would rather me use it, he said he was too old to start with it now. So the quest continues.
> 
> Just the other day it was in the news that a 102 year old woman made her first hole-in-one playing golf.


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## FunnyBugBees (Feb 19, 2017)

*Re: Never too old*

does this video mean that they are indeed being produced on Thorah Island? The video is from August of 2016. They look pretty darn docile to me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?annot...rc_vid=mS5YGK9OX5E&v=NUpApdL49Rc#t=985.733561


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