Buckfast bees and queens Ligustiche: The Life
The life of bees is permanently in a continuous cycle of natural mechanisms that aim at the survival and conservation of the entire group of which they are part. However, the key to the whole hive is always and only one: The Queen Bee.
In this regard, we would like to talk about two types of Queen Bees:
Buckfast Queen Bees
Ligustic Queen Bees
But what is the difference between these two bee species?
Buckfast queen bees
Buckfast queen bees are hybrid bees. They arise from the crossing of two species and this feature makes them stronger and more resistant at the genetic level. The combination of characteristics belonging to two species provides Buckfast bees with excellent qualities and a high propensity to resist climate change. Obviously, as this is a hybrid breed, a permanent selection must be made. Consequently, the breeding takes place in separate apiaries.
It is also important to highlight that Buckfast bees have a high resistance not only to climate change but also to diseases and parasites.
Buckfast bees tend to be very docile and this feature is also found in their Ligustica colleagues.
Unlike the latter, however, Buckfast bees are decidedly more prolific, of a plundering nature and strong in laying the brood.
It should be noted, however, that Buckfast bees are not inclined to swarm, do not collect much honey and tend to tie honeycombs with wax bridges. The presence of propolis on the internal walls of the hive complicates the removal of the combs during the inspection.
Ligustic queen bees
The Ligustic Bees ... these bees, also nicknamed “the Italian bees”, have very evident characteristics that allow the distinction of the breed. With a particularly tapered body, particularly short hairs and a chestnut-colored abdomen, we can easily notice the particular golden lines that distinguish them.
The Italian bee, Apis mellifera Ligustica, is therefore the subspecies of Apis mellifera universally recognized as the most versatile and, therefore, also the most suitable for modern beekeeping.
The ligustic queen bees are reared in large fertilization nuclei with the intention of allowing the queen's deposition capacity and the excellent quality of the brood. We select mothers with the best productivity characteristics. Beekeeping the third has thousands of hives and ensures efficient selection.
The life of the Queen Bees
As already pointed out, the Ligustic Queen Bees or Buckfast bees, play an irreplaceable role in the survival of the entire hive.
The Queen's life is distinctly different from that of the worker bees.
From the very first moments of life, the larva destined to become Queen will have a different treatment from all other larvae.
Her is a life of differences. The cell in which it grows is different: the real cell, a hollow similar in shape and size to those of a thimble, develops at the edge of the honeycombs, the walls of wax divided into thousands of cells in succession that contain the larvae of bees and which act as a pantry for storing honey.
But why is the Queen so important to worker bees?
The Queen Bee holds the key to a swarm's survival. Worker bees have a life span of about 30 days. Without the presence of a queen bee, the bee family would end its procreation since there would no longer be any generational renewal, given that the queen bee is the only one able to lay eggs.
Having said that we can imagine how vital it is that each swarm has a queen for the survival of their family.
The three life steps of a Queen Bee
Continuing in chronological order, the life of a Queen consists mainly of three steps:
- Metamorphosis: After 16 days of metamorphosis, the larva has already become a Mature Queen Bee which, within 10 days from this stage, will be ready for mating.
- Egg Production: From that time until the end of her life, the queen's only function will be to produce eggs in sufficient quantity to multiply the worker bees. During the great foraging seasons (that is, the collection of nectar and pollen, from April to August), even 3000 worker bees die of exhaustion every day. The queen replaces them with new generations, laying 1500-3000 eggs daily.
- Swarming: after a significant egg production, when the queen is no longer able to sustain such intense production rates (usually after 3 years), it is replaced or embarks on a sort of escape, thus leaving the hive.
Do you need to buy Buckfast Queen Bees or Ligustic Queen Bees?
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