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How to maximize the breeding of CARNIOLAN BEES ?
Beekeepers who choose to breed Carnica bees have to respect some basic rules to make the most of their potential:- from the 20th of July until the 10th of September, the bees will only be productive once they have accumulated a total of 7 kilos of food, with a 200g daily minimal requirement.
- Before winter, one must make sure that the
bees are fed enough, so that their are enough reserves for the coming winter (around 16/22
kilos per bee-hive, while Italian bees need twice as much). These honey reserves
must be at the correct moisture content and capped. Under extreme conditions, 3 more kilos
are required.
- overall, Carniolan bees consume 5 to 9 kilos during winter while the rest is usually used up in spring
- Ideally, Carniolan bees require from 250mm to 400mm of capped honey reserves in height in the hives bodies, spread over 9 to 12 frames.
- It might be counter-productive to feed the bees quickly and lately.
- If one follows the process mentioned above, the winter cluster should include enough young and strong worker bees for optimal over-wintering conditions (from –5 to +5 degrees centigrade).
This is important in order to ensure an early spring build up.
Carniolan Queens start laying eggs as early as mid-January. In February, the size of the colony is usually limited, yet the process of egg laying follows a steady path.
- in March and April, the growth of the hive is remarkable and, as a result, hives get filled pretty quickly with brood. It is worth noting that there is a risk of swarming, a) providing that 450 bees exceed a volume of 1dm3; b) that the frames are still filled with honey; and c) that the weather is agreeable. Swarming becomes unavoidable when there are 520 bees per dm3.- An important fact to remember is that the hive population increases by 450% over the first three months of spring (from 16/22 thousand in winter to 80 thousand in late June)
Professional bee keeper, expert for the Slovene Ministry of Agriculture with regards to the studies made about Carnica bees, journalist working for the bee-related Slovene magazine ‘Slovenski Cebelar’, and member of the National Selection Committee for Carnica bees.
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Last modified on the 04/02/08 – ® Site created by Louis Ivanec– SC La Carniole ‘Import of Carnica queens from Slovenia’,19 allee du Gros Chene 63910 Chignat FRANCE