# Hello from south africa



## Slow Drone (Apr 19, 2014)

Welcome to beesource Gary. I wonder if varroa mites are much of a problem for you. I suspect not but I'm quite curious. What pests do experience having problems with?


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## potgieter (Sep 4, 2014)

We have mite in South Africa but it's not really a problem, our bees have smaller cells and a shorter time spent as capped brood which helps. We also have wax moth but I don't know of anyone who does anything about it - if you find it or any other pests or diseases the hive is usually burnt and you catch a new swarm. There are commercial bee keepers some with 1000 hives but even they don't do it as intensively as you do it in the states. There are no queen breeders or nuc sellers, you build your hives put them out as bait hives and usually get around a 80% hit rate. My problem is I am in a city so there are way fewer swarms hence my plan on splitting hives.


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## Santa Caras (Aug 14, 2013)

potgieter said:


> I watch youtube videos of the bees in the USA and Europe and want to cry.


Me too! Then I walk out to my hives and yell at em and tell em SEE!!!! You should be like your sisters and do better!!!! :waiting:
Hasnt worked yet!  With that said, yes, they are very gentle....only sting occassionally and the rest of the time I worry that they are too docile!! 

Welcome to the forum!


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## Slow Drone (Apr 19, 2014)

What temperament do the Cape hybrids have? Are you familiar with thelytoky in cape bees and wonder if your hybrids display any of these traits?


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## potgieter (Sep 4, 2014)

Slow drone my city is on the border of the two bee species and so we have pure and hybrid hives.....I think it has to do with the percentage cape bee they are, but yes one of my hives had laying workers who laid worker brood ( I can already hear people in the USA saying "no way" but yes the cape bee can lay a clone of itself) The cape bee workers will also take over African honey bee hives by laying in them and slowly corrupting them. Forgot to tell you about temperament ......mad as hell! I count on being stung a few dozen times every time I go to the hives even with the protective clothing...


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## Slow Drone (Apr 19, 2014)

You are right most Americans do not believe in thelytoky, I do and generally avoid conversation on the subject because of the lack of belief. It is refreshing to talk with someone on this subject with firsthand experience other than myself! I have a cross of several different European honeybees that display this trait. They say extremely rare but I don't believe most beekeepers would recognize it anyway let alone believe what they are seeing.


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## potgieter (Sep 4, 2014)

Even I thought the queen must be laying only when I put all the bees through a queen excluder did I realize what was going on. The problem is while they laying it was almost impossible to requeen. I was advised to either wait for them to swarm and catch the swarms and kill the existing hive or to just live with it...

Our bees also don't fill more than 10 frames and if the flow is very heavy maybe a shallow super. The hives are so small so you can't really "rock the boat" so I waited for them to swarm and ....


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## bbruff22 (Dec 24, 2013)

Welcome Gary! I'm enjoying reading this thread. I'm new this year with 3 hives of very gentle Carniolan bees.


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## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

Welcome Gary!


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Welcome to Beesource!





potgieter said:


> ... but yes one of my hives had laying workers who laid worker brood ( I can already hear people in the USA saying "no way" but yes the cape bee can lay a clone of itself) ...


For the disbelievers, a reference about this behavior with cape bees:

http://www.beesource.com/point-of-view/africanized-honey-bees/the-threatened-african-honey-bee-ahb/


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## fruitveggirl (Mar 8, 2013)

Welcome! I'm truly enjoying this thread! Thelytoky -- Had to look that one up. Very interesting, indeed!


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## Slow Drone (Apr 19, 2014)

Gary what your friend is telling you about the Capes is true. The Capes are more docile as a pure bred bee, but they will still display defensiveness when their hive is intruded. The hybrid will always be hyper defensive. The Capes are best kept in a Langstroth with a single brood chamber too large of a brood nest invites trouble with the workers being able to develop a laying worker queen which will cause hive to dwindle because of fighting between hive members dedicated to the queen and the laying worker queen. It's best not to keep the Africans with the Capes.


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