# Russian Bees



## thorsgurl75 (Dec 13, 2008)

Ok I have been reading up on bees and had settled on Italians but russian keeps popping up.I live in a pretty harsh area in the winter ( was -30 this am plus we had a blizzard this last weekend were snowed in for thee days). Went to my local feed store today and talked to a lady there and asked if she knew of any local beekeepers which she didnt but she used to have bees and she said she lost allot of colonies due to the winters.But didnt sound like she did much to prevent it.Ok getting sidetracked here..lol
What do you all think of the russians? 
Rachel:viking:


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## beehoppers (Jun 3, 2008)

I've had Russians for 3 seasons now and I'm committed to them. I can't say if they are better since they are all I keep, but I like them. The queen breeder I use, Ray Revis, is nearby and I like to deal with him.
They are said to winter over with a smaller cluster and consume less of their stores, and I haven't lost a colony to starvation yet. They are hard to keep in place though. They supersede if I checkerboard, swarm if I don't. I'm going to try more splits next year to try to keep the queen around.
They seem to produce as much honey as the Italians around here.
I enjoy keeping them.


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## damoc (Jul 14, 2007)

I breed italians so im biased

i would say the italians are gentler get of to a faster spring start because
they maintain a large winter cluster.

this is of great benefit to early pollination like the almonds here in california
which are blooming in feb and you need a big cluster to get paid it is also
a big advantage for an early nectar flow that you want to make the most of.

but if you dont pay close attention to the italians they might get of to a real early brooding eat all their stores then starve when some more bad weather comes in. 

so in short you may have to give them extra feed in the spring if the weather
warrants it.

i had a russian hive that i watched in WA it survived many years with no treatment which was great but each may when i brought my bees up there for the blackberry flow it was still only a couple of frames of bees if that
which means it could not have made good production from the blackberry
flow.

try both and see what you like


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## Farmsteader (Nov 7, 2008)

Ok we are all biased, i am a kinda nubee, but my Father was a beekeeper, and i have been reading about them since in was 13- ok thats over 40yrs ago. Some would say i have no hands on experiance so what do i know- true and not so true- what i did find out is that the Organic bee group at yahoo, is showing me that they are not loosing hives like others who use chemicals, and larger bee comb sized bees- they prefer 4.9mm instead of 5.4 and larger- they claim it keeps out the mites etc better and they are just as efficient - most important Healthier!--- this is the way i am going- they use small dark colored bees Feral type - and others- i am no expert but check it out- i will build my own hives for spring-
Oh where your location is very different than other folks that recomend a type of bee- this is important -buy local nucs and queens- so you have a better chance- get a mentor if you can find a Organic beekeeper close to you- and join a local Bee group that meets in person - Wish you luck- we all need each other in this difficult period-Best Wishes, AJ no Arkansas for 5yrs from big city and loving it . ps check out Cornielian Bees (spelling ?)


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

I like SMR Carnoloians and the ones we breed from them.

Over wintering bees in way north Minnesota isn't so hard. Wrap the hive in tar paper cluster them in a group and wrap again. Make sure you keep the entrances clear of snow and ice so they vent. Use piles of snow to insulate the hives and make sure you have a north west wind break, I recommend 5 feet away. Also make sure they hive is full of honey for the girls before it gets cold and for insurance place a candy board on the top bars.

 Al


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## thorsgurl75 (Dec 13, 2008)

candy board? Sounds like a plan ,I will have to look into that .I was planning on the tar paper and wind break.I was also going to do the fat cakes to keep the tracial mites down so that may help the girls also.With them wraped up so tight is condinsation a problem?
Also any problems with mice?Anyone find need of a mouse guard?
Can I have two diffrent types of bees? Will there be any problems with that?
Rachel


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## Durandal (Aug 19, 2007)

Can you get survivor mutts locally? Just curious. There are a couple places around me that offer nucs in late April all survivor stock and are open mated Carni, Russian, and Italian with the whatever might be local "feral" bees.

Here in Ohio they have a queen program trying to develop an "Ohio" breeding program.

I think the more further north you are the more important this is, especially when considering mite control.

Just a thought I am throwing out.

My best hive is a swarm I caught nearly a month after I started the other colonies I am overwintering this year. No mites either. If it survives the winter its getting split for certain.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Went to a talk by a fellow whos total name excapes me at this time but the first was Tabar. He kept bees in Alberta Canada with temps getting down in the -50range. He is now at the university of Guelph in Ont. Canada. He was doing it for a college. He would wrap the hives in tar paper then cluster them in a group of four then wrap that group with insulation and wrap a rubber type wrap around them. He let them get totally buried in the snow except for a vent entrance.

In the winter condensation is one of the biggest killers of honey bees next to starvation.

You can keep as many different breeds of bees as you wish. Keep in mind that if you were to raise a queen you would not know what her children were. 

Yes by all means use a mouse guard on the entrances. Make sure they are in place by late August and maybe even sooner in your area.
We leave ours on year round.

If you use a product called Mite away II you treat the girls for vorroa as well as tracial mites.
Some will argue that it is a chemical and should not be used in a bee hive. It is Formic acid, some thing that ants make in nature and man has been able to duplicate.

 Al


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## Durandal (Aug 19, 2007)

On the moisture end of things:

I wedge all my hives with 3/4" strips cut from trex decking.

I am also using the "Mountaincamp" method, placing an extra box on top of the colony with a sheet of newspaper across the top bars with about 2 to 3# of sugar sitting square in the middle of the paper.










The sugar absorbs the moisture turning into candy the bees have emergency feed if needed.


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## beehoppers (Jun 3, 2008)

I also use the Mountaincamp method and it really helps.


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## MikeParks (Apr 2, 2006)

Farmsteader said:


> ....what i did find out is that the Organic bee group at yahoo, is showing me that they are not loosing hives like others who use chemicals, and larger bee comb sized bees- they prefer 4.9mm instead of 5.4 and larger- they claim it keeps out the mites etc better and they are just as efficient - most important Healthier!...


You have a link?
I have been reading (trying to get into beekeeping) and it struck me how much it seems people have messed it all up (I know that sounds hard coming from someone just learning ). But All the different diseases and pests is just amazing when you consider the bees seem to have done much better before all the chemicals (kind of like milk before the mass dairy farms).

I am just getting into beekeeping and would like to try to go no chemical but I need to know more.

Thanks
Mike


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

I have heard good things and bad things about the Russians.

I suspect that they are better suited to some areas than others!


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## beehoppers (Jun 3, 2008)

MikeParks there's a lot to know no matter how you keep bees. 
For small cell look at the info at http://www.bushfarms.com/bees.htm. Other natural beekeeping topics are there.
It generally takes a combination of things to replace what you get from chemicals. Keep in mind that colony loss happens no matter what you do. As for Russians, they have been dealing with mites for a long time. Another thing that helps is to breed your queens from stock that survive in your area with your area's pests and diseases.


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## Beltane (Nov 27, 2005)

I have also been researching the russians as I believe I will ordering two nucs in the spring.


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