Even though the blustery winter weather is upon us, it’s not too early to think spring. And with spring, comes bees! If you’re thinking about purchasing a new batch of bees, Great Lakes Bee Company offers different types of honey bees to choose from, each with their own unique benefits. Let’s go through the types of bees we offer, and you can decide which is right for you!
Italian Honeybee
- These are some of the most widely used race of honey bees. They are known for their prolific brood cycles and production, gentle nature, and their reluctance to swarm. They are also excellent foragers and are known for being strong comb builders. However, this Italian breed consume resources at a rapid pace due to their long brood cycles, and they are notorious for robbing the reserves of weaker or neighboring hives. Italian honey bees also tend to have more difficulty with pests and are more prone to collapse because of this. Despite that, the Italian honeybee is still used by both novice and experienced beekeepers alike.
Carniolan Bee
- Another popular bee among novices, the Carniolan bee is favored for their docile nature. Carniolan bees are also renowned for their long tongues, which help them pollinate crops like clover, meaning they have more sources of nutrition for the colony than the traditional strain of honey bee stock, and because of their origin in central and Eastern Europe, Carniolan bees are best at foraging in colder climates. Carniolan honeybees are also some of the most efficient workers, due to their ability to adjust worker population relative to nectar availability, creating periods of high nectar with high worker population. This creates large quantities of honey and pollen during those periods.
Saskatraz Honeybee
- Saskatraz bees are a newer addition to the beekeeping world, a recently developed breed where scientists aimed to create a honeybee breed with strong resistance to pests and diseases. More recently, Saskatraz honeybees have undergone more selective breeding processes to try and increase stability of the varroa tolerant trait. Due to their highly selective breeding process, Saskatraz bees are harder to acquire than other breeds of honeybee. The specificity of their foraging behaviors may affect their honey production in certain environments, meaning supplemental feeding may be necessary. You can read more about this new breed on OHBees!
Golden West Honeybee
- The Golden West Bees originated in the California foothills, where a family of beekeepers began to selectively breed their bees when they noticed one of their hives were able to completely avoid mite infestation. From this breeding, Golden West queens have become notable for colonies that are very gentle and healthy, exhibited above average honey production, and proved strong for almond pollination, on top of their increased mite resistance.
Now that you know a little more about the different honeybees we offer, head on over to our online shop to explore your options for the upcoming season! Keep in mind that there are no bad bees, and a flexible beekeeper who has careful consideration of their hives will often have the best results!