No, I haven’t started using this site to talk about the politics of the day. I am of course talking about bees! We here at He Works Hard for the Honey have had the opportunity to buy some full breed Russian bees for this coming season.  I’m so excited to work with Russian’s and start to distinguish between fact and myth with these fascinating bees.

Russian bees come from the Primorsky region of Russia, which is wedged between China and the Pacific Ocean. Which may account for one of the most amazing qualities...they are largely hygienic to Varroa Destructor. For those of you who might have missed my blog post on Varroa, this is like a tick for bees although if they were set to human scale they would be the size of a large dinner plate. This insect not only disrupts the health of the hive by feeding off the fat of the bee they’ve targeted but also seem to have an agent that encourages viruses in the hive. Russian bees have been given the nickname “Ankle Biters”, because they will remove the Varroa as part of their hygienic process and will chomp the legs off of them, effectively allowing them to fall and removing them from the hive. In addition, these bees seem to have developed a way of knowing which capped brood have been affected and will uncap and remove them. All this in addition to the fact that Russian’s are not affected by Tracheal Mites, and I’m wondering why I didn’t go this route sooner!

While I have no previous experience with them there are rumors about Russian bees, chiefly that they’re “swarmy” and that they’re more defensive that Italians and Carnolians. While I have been able to find evidence that Russian bees “ramp up” very quickly once the nectar is flowing, the “swarminess” of a hive would seem to be a management issue instead of a bee problem. My bees can’t swarm if I’m adding space and managing forming Queen Cells in a timely way. As far as their being aggressive I was nervous after taking to YouTube for research, where I found an entire video series named “Russian bees have NO CHILL”. I’ve been made to feel much better after sharing concerns with local Master Beekeepers and bringing this up with the Cumberland County Beekeepers Association at our last meeting and getting the feedback that Russians are no more difficult to work with than any other hive. Some of you remember that I started last season with a “hot hive” that had an exaggerated area of territoriality and you’ll understand my relief.

All this is to say that I’m excited for this opportunity. Varroa and other parasites are a scourge that beekeepers have had to manage, and we’ve unfortunately created chemical resistance in Varroa. This provides an opportunity for a hive that may need less treatment during the course of the season to stay healthy and vigorous. I hope you’ll stay tuned to get answers on the potential ferocity (or lack of) of our new Russians, and how they compare in all ways to our other three hives 🐝🍎🍯🍏

 ~Chris, The Boxing Beekeeper