# right bees for the high desert



## digdan (May 8, 2009)

I keep bees in the high desert as well. Mine are positioned in the Northern Owhyee Desert (2800 elevation), where we can have scortching summers, of over 105 too.

Of the bees I have kept I noticed that the 3 banded italians do very well. They seem to prosper through the heat, and they produce so many workers that turn-over due to heat/derth is quickly replaced. Make sure you keep them well fed right into the honey flow, since they will over populate their hives, and thus starve themselves during cooler months. 

My Cardovans started out well, but they do not tolerate the heat as well as I wished. 

I have a friend who has Carnys, and he wishes to switch to 3 banded italians after viewing my hives. Cardovans and Carnys did do well, but not as good as the Italians in the area I keep at.

Hope this helps
DigDan


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## Jerry Kinder (Jan 16, 2009)

I asked a similar question a while back and one of the guys running bees west of Lancaster suggested Italians as well. He also said just about any of the bees will work as long as you have a good water source within a few hundred yard or so and not over a mile away. I was up above your area along the pacific crest trail walking around Big Bear this weekend and noticed some Italian looking bees working the wild flowers way up there so I guess they should ok down on your side of the hills. :thumbsup:

If you want to save a buck, I ran into a wild hive just above and to the left of the old Verdi Antique mine in Stoddard Valley. They were mean and defended their hive quickly chasing us out of the area, but if you want a desert toughened hive that is use to the local issues, this one would be it if the colony is still there. Only problem is that it’s pugnacious character would indicate they have the AHB gene. 

Good luck with whatever you decide to get. I’m sure they will make it. 

Jerry


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## ccar2000 (Aug 9, 2009)

Thanks for the advice guys. It seems that many beekeepers just keep going back to recommending the Italians. I do not think I am brave enough to go get that "free" colony near Stoddard Wells though.


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## BEES4U (Oct 10, 2007)

California has some pretty diverse climates. I would caution you to get something very locally!

California happens to produce the major amount of quality mated queen bees in the U.S.A. and we are a leader in the use of the VSH mated queens.
There happens to be only two,2, major northern California queen breeders that ship into Canada!
*I contract grow the following grafted queens from breeder queens that I buy from Glenn Apiaries at $ 150.00 each!*
You will find that bees from good stock is very adaptable to local conditions.
I currently have these queens available as my breeder queens:
Cordovan
Minnesota Hygienic
VSH
Italian
Carniolan
Russian
I also sell quality 5 frame nucs .
I do not ship the nucs. You pick them up by appointment.

Regards,
Ernie


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## Ardilla (Jul 17, 2006)

I have had better luck with carniolans than italians. The italians tend to use all stores for raising brood. The carniolans are frugal enough to make a surplus most years. However, this year neither the carniolans nor the italians are making a surplus...

The desert I am in is higher (7000') and cooler so it may not apply to your conditions.


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## peacekeeperapiaries (Jun 23, 2009)

Pretty hot here in FL, I like my Russians. The queens I have purchased this year (Miksa Honey Farms) also came from a Russian Breeder Queen purchased from Glenn Apiaries.


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## ccar2000 (Aug 9, 2009)

Thanks again for the info, I am looking at purchasing a nuc of Italians with a 2009 queen. It looks like I will be set up and running right away. I have been getting a lot of good advice and am feeling confident.


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## arnaud (Aug 2, 2009)

Not in the high desert, but my bees are at 2952 ft. (yes, I checked with my GPS handheld  ) in the Mayacamas Mountains in Nothern California (north of Napa Valley). Pine trees and chaparral - thistle, buckwheat, etc. Temps in the summer frequently reach the high 90s and low 100s, and nights can be chilly.

I'm only in my second year, but my Italians (3 banded, I think) are doing very well. I got them from a reputable business 50 miles away. Next spring I would love to experiment on the same site with a different subspecies - we'll see what I can catch.


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## ccar2000 (Aug 9, 2009)

Awesome arnaud,
I am still working out the details to make the purchase for the end of the month. He is trying to encourage me to get two hives so I can compare them for health and production as I go. I am not sure about starting with two hives in my backyard though. Have you been able to make a harvest yet? Good luck with your set up.


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## arnaud (Aug 2, 2009)

I think two hives is a good idea - you can compare, and if one of them gets weak you can always combine it with the other one, or if you lose your queen in one you can always use a brood frame from the other one to requeen the other.

This year I've only extracted a couple of frames from the strongest hive just a couple of weeks ago (for personal consumption). It's their first year (and I missed on a swarm from at least one of them) so I want to make sure they'll have all the stores they need for the winter. I'm also not sure what the fall flow will be like - although they'll get the juice from the grapes in the vineyard they are next to - last October I noticed bees all over the berries which were bursting with juice. My main concern is the snow - last year I lost a hive that got snowed in and that I didn't sufficiently winterize. I don't want to take any chance this coming winter, so I'll wrap them all - not sure yet if I should have an upper entrance, there seems to be a lot of different ideas about this.


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## ccar2000 (Aug 9, 2009)

I do not know about an upper entrance, I have seen some old time pictures of hives that have them and, I would think a natural hive would have multiple entrances in a hollowed out tree or wherever else they may nest. Maybe it would be something to do for the winter and the cork it after the threat of snow drifts or if you decided you didn't like it.


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## arnaud (Aug 2, 2009)

ccar2000 said:


> Awesome arnaud,
> I am still working out the details to make the purchase for the end of the month. He is trying to encourage me to get two hives so I can compare them for health and production as I go. I am not sure about starting with two hives in my backyard though. Have you been able to make a harvest yet? Good luck with your set up.


It's been over a year and a half, but I'm going to resuscitate this necro-thread. Yes, I have harvested this honey three years in a row, and it's really good. The summer honey is very thick, amber in color, and the taste is very fruity. Definitely the grapes. The locals I sell it to love it.

I would encourage anyone who has organically-grown vineyards in their area to try it. A lot of environmentally-conscious wineries are now looking forward to having beehives. Those going biodynamic even have to as part of their mission.

And now that there is research showing that some trained UC Davis bees could be able to detect powdery mildew early on, a lot of growers and wineries are very interested.

This spring - around mid-May - I'm going to set up three hives again up overlooking that organically-grown vineyard. The honey is really unique and it's the locals' favorite - although the pear blossom one is doing very well too.


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