Buckfast is a favorite breed of beekeepers from all over the world, bred on the islands of Britain by a modest monk - brother Adam (in the world - Karl Kehrle).
History of breed backfast
In 1927, Adam managed to derive resistant totracheal mite species, which received the name bakfast - in honor of the city where this remarkable event occurred. New bees were the result of crossing local breeds with Italian ones. The further goal of the breeding work, Adam, put an increase in the profitability of the beekeeping industry, produced by improving and multiplying the beneficial properties of winged insects. The Englishman believed that bees with the necessary qualities should be searched for in other countries, and useful signs should be fixed by crossing with the Bakfast line.
Valuable breed traits
Looking for suitable genetic materialThe breeder traveled all over Europe, the countries of the Middle East, and North Africa. In 1960, as a result of crossbreeding with Greek breeds, the bees had gotten such valuable attributes as peace lovingness and a low rate of reflexivity.
Beebuckfast: feature
Breed backfast after breeding quicklyspread to different countries. Today it is quite difficult to meet her thoroughbred representatives, for the most part these are different mixes. The original breed exists in Germany at specialized stations whose purpose is to preserve this species of bee.
Externally, the buckfast bees are very similar toItalian counterparts: body color of the correct form is close to the brown-yellow color, light brown wings, black, average hairiness. Recognizable by slow, unhurried movements of the wings, very friendly, calmly behave in relation to fellow tribesmen, willingly coexist with a person. When inspecting the hive go down, not excited, so many beekeepers work with them without a grid and a smoker. Being from the British Isles, they prefer wet and rainy weather, although they easily get used to different conditions.
Advantages of the breed Bakfast
Brother Adam, who was breeding thisrocks, such requirements to the breed were formulated as high medoproduktivnost, effective reproduction of offspring, non-lethality and resistance to diseases.
The advantages of modern Bakfast include:
- Excellent productivity. Backfast bees are characterized by the highest rates of honey harvest compared to other breeds.
- A small amount of propolis in the nests. Italian "colleagues" litter the hives much more.
- High endurance: the bees work well on large areas occupied by honey plants.
- Good resistance to pests and diseases.Ascoferosis does not infect bees due to the protection of the brood from hypothermia. Insects do not get sick with acarapidosis, as they have tracheas that are too small and do not cause interest in ticks.
- Nezlobnoe behavior, peace-loving: bees buckfast, karnik - quietly give to check the hive at any time of the day.
- Compact, located at the bottom of the family nest. Storage of perga and honey occurs in the upper buildings.
- Increased cleanliness. Buckfast bees always keep their dwelling clean, and they work so hard that they leave the beekeeper out of work.
- High capacity for long-haul flights. In search of food reserves, insects are able to overcome considerable distances.
- The desire to work from morning till night and highadaptability to the environment. Adults, while always active, are able to work in adverse meteorological conditions. In foggy, damp, rainy weather, the bees of Bakufast fly to fly around while their compatriots (for example, the Carpathian breed) are sitting in a hive.
- Phenomenal sense of smell and excellent vision. Buckfast bees are able to hear their favorite flower from afar. Do not wander, because they are easy to navigate in space.
- Excellent reproductive ability of the uterus, laying eggs without failure and thereby ensuring a stable increase in the number of colonies.
In addition, the bee's uterus buckfast can be actively used for crossing with other breeds;
- There is practically no swarming of families, bees are tied to their hive and can only be buried by the beekeeper's oversight. The use of anti-war methods quickly brings it into working condition.
- The existence of lines for the use of autumn and early spring bribes.
- The possibility of use for industrial purposes.
The combination of the above positive qualities allows you to make high honey-gathering (about 2 or more kilograms of high-quality product), so most apiaries choose backfast.
Breed of bees: their disadvantage
In addition to the positive qualities, bees of the buckfast breed have several disadvantages:
- Bad frost resistance. Wintering English breed hard enough to provide in the northern regions.
- The complexity of the production process uterus.Of the 1,500 individuals bred, only 26 can be selected for sale as breeding ones. The approximate price of the fetal uterus - 300-2000 euros, barren costs 30 euros. For practical beekeeping, it is advisable to use relatively inexpensive queens at F-1 level. In terms of their honey productivity, their families often exceed the purebred ones. Using a lower-quality uterus (older than F-1) in a couple of generations will lead to the splitting of symptoms and, as a result, the aggressiveness of families.
Features of the content
The content of beeches of buckfast, gathering in large, strong families, is recommended to be carried out in spacious hives: the presence of space is an important factor in ensuring their normal life activity.
The subtleties of beekeeping
For the full disclosure of family opportunitiesThe medical facility is not recommended to limit its growth. Also, do not use techniques such as the selection of sealed brood and the division of families. In the summer, almost all work comes down to siphoning off honey and setting up additional buildings. The beekeeper should try to maximize the power of the bee family. When weakening a bribe, it is recommended to provide insects with food.
To fly, bees can fly at +12 aboutC. After overwintering, the beekeeper's eyes appear clean, without signs of Nosema and a beehive with careful brood.
Reviews of bees bakfast
According to most beekeepers, the contentBackfast bees are cost effective. Insect care, minimal swarming and the ability to come in contact with a person significantly reduce the labor costs of maintaining apiaries. Most queens should be used for 2–3 years, while for other breeds the recommended period is 1–2 years. Despite the large number of disputes about what backfast really is: a hybrid or a breed, it does not matter at all for the beekeeper.
