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May 19th 2012
Article
Ordered The Bee Packages
Categories: General Post
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Authored by The Weekend Beekeeper
December 9th, 2009

beeweaver_package_t

I just placed my order for three honeybee packages from Bee Weaver apiaries down in Texas.  I ordered the BeeWeaver variety.  They describe their bees as follows.

“BeeWeaver Queens are a hybrid of our very best All Star and Buckfast and BeeSMaRt colonies. After selecting for mite resistance, high honey production and healthy populations in all our queen lines for over a decade we found our breeds became similar. Our choice to combine the breeds will bring you the best all around bees possible and better customer service. This decision may have been an obvious one to make, but it was not an easy one. We hope as the beekeeping world evolves you will find that our own evolution is the best path to overcome today’s challenges in the world of bees.”

What really caught my attention is this quote:

When a BeeWeaver Queen heads your colony you will be able to throw away those expensive mite treatments as well.

I really hope this will be the case.

  • Jeffery McCullen

    Nice!

  • http://www.howdobeesmakehoney.info/ Gary

    Love the site, I have recently been looking at making my own Hive, I saw a Squido page on it which seemed doable, Have you built yours? Also you can follow some great beekeeping news on Twitter do you have a twitter name? I post under @BeekeeperNews

  • jpbellavance

    Thanks Gary, I am on Twitter under Weekendbee

  • mignolan

    Jesse, what happened to your '09 hives? Are you adding three, or are they somehow gone? BTW, what's with three packages? I noticed in your post-Thanksgiving thoughts that you had decided on *two* new hives, didn't you? Don't think we're not paying attention. ; )

  • jpbellavance

    I only had one hive survive this year. That hive is situated on my uncle's property, over 100 miles from our new house, and will stay there. We now live in the Charlottesville, Virginia, area and I have found a farm to put my new hives.

    I have been waffling on getting 2 or 3. I ordered my bees from BeeWeaver and I placed the order for three. If I need to cancel one of the packages they said that would be fine.

    Thanks for paying attention. Happy Holidays!

  • mignolan

    Jesse, I'd appreciate hearing your thoughts about the loss of the hive. Do you know what caused it? How did you discover it? (I mean, really: did your wife drown them?) ; )

  • jpbellavance

    I discovered they were gone early last spring. When I opened them up I could tell they had probably died earlier. There was ample food but it is possible they were weakened over the winter from the varroa mites as I do not treat for them any longer.

    Those two hives were also the progeny of the miracle hives I wrote about earlier. I don't know what they were as I never replaced the queens to insure a new line of known bees. The only ones to survive were the All Americans I purchased either from BeeWeaver or R.Weaver apiaries.

    I don't think it was CCD but cannot say for sure.

  • Nmjohnson42

    I just order bee weaver package of bees. What is your thoughts on them how do they do or should I just order a cheaper pack somewhere and get the treatments as needed?

  • Jpbellavance

    They are good bees. They are more defensive than most but so far are very robust. I have not treated yet.