The Dark European Honey Bee
Freidrich Ruttner, Eric Milner and John E. Dews - ISBN: 0-905369-08-4
£7.00 + 70p post & packing

The only publication dealing with subject, it covers the behavioural characteristics of this bee which is native to the British Isles. It includes the morphometric standards for its identification.

The rationale behind a bee breeding programme for improvement of honeybee colonies is given together with a detailed description of simplified morphometric techniques which can be used to identify honeybee races or sub species. These techniques also indicate whether the breeder queen will breed true. The new edition includes an introduction to bee breeding as a means of controlling varroa.
The video The Honeybee’s Fingerprint complements this booklet.

This book has been a classic in Germany for many years and aims to improve the quality of bees kept in an increasingly crowded environment by restoring pure race breeding. Describes the rearing of queens and drones and the method of securing satisfactory matings. Expounds more fully the selection of queens and drones suitable for breeding and concludes with a chapter on the morphometry of samples of bees in order to ensure pure race breeding.

The results of 40 years’ experience with the native bees of Britain and Ireland. Compiled by Philip Denwood from comprehensive notes by BIBBA’s founder and its Director until his death in 1982.

This book fills an important gap in the literature on this vital subject.

A new, revised and extended edition of the BIBBA Seed List. Gives information on the habitat, size and flowering period of the plants, together with an indication of whether they provide pollen and/or nectar for honeybees. The new edition includes shrubs and trees. Dedicated to John & Gwen Rotter who made such a great contribution to BIBBA’s work promoting the planting of native species suitable for honeybees. Also with acknowledgement to Len Salt for his contribution.

This is a collection of ten important papers by experts from five West European countries, presented to the 1981 BIBBA/DIB conference in Celle, Germany.

Griff Jenkins a noted breeder of Welsh bees describes and illustrates his proven methods of raising top quality queens in quantity, using grafting methods.

A well illustrated guide to the use of all types of miniature queen mating nuclei. By their portability and requirement for only a small number of bees to stock them, they enable the economic mating of native queens in large numbers.

A reprint of interesting papers on the subjects

An occasional publication containing articles of interest to the serious bee breeder. Available free to members. Some back numbers are available, while stocks last at £1.80 each + 70p p&p.

Scale drawings of 11 frame, 5-frame and 3-frame modified National hives. Includes floor, entrance block, brood box, super, crown board, deep & shallow roof. Packed in an explanatory folder.

Videos

A 90 minute video of a workshop illustrating simple morphometric techniques to distinguish honeybee races. The rationale behind a bee breeding programme is also discussed. Available in VHS format only. Full details also given in ‘Breeding Better Bees’. £17.25 + 75p post & packing

A video of the BIBBA East Midlands Group field day at Locko Park, 1988, illustrating all the different stages in the queen rearing process. Available in VHS format only. £17.25 + 75p post & packing

Record Cards

Three cards in a 4 page folder.

Contains 10 record cards (RC1) and a folder. Each card has space for scoring 16 or more examinations of a single stock together with summarising characteristics of the colony and the queen. These are A5 size cards.

10 cards similar to the Individual Stock Hive Record Card (RC1), but easier and quicker to complete. The reverse carries charts for recording the morphometric analysis of the stock.

For use with the above record cards to compress entries and to assist interpretation by others.