Buckfast Bee

The Buckfast bee is not a natural subspecies; it is a breeding line created at Buckfast Abbey in England by Brother Adam, who crossed different bee races and selected them over decades. It is widespread in commercial beekeeping for its gentleness, low swarming tendency and high productivity. Because of its hybrid make-up, its most important rule is this: the queen must be replaced regularly from a reliable breeder.

What is the Buckfast bee and how did it come about?

The Buckfast bee takes its name from the apiary of Buckfast Abbey in Devon, in south-west England. The founder of the line was the abbey's beekeeping monk, Brother Adam (sometimes called Brother Adam of Buckfast; his real name was Karl Kehrle). At the beginning of the twentieth century, an epidemic in Britain known as Isle of Wight disease, which at the time was associated with the tracheal mite, wiped out most of the country's native dark bees.

When the epidemic reached the abbey in 1916, most of the colonies died. The survivors were Italian bees (A. m. ligustica) or colonies descended from Italian queens mated with native drones. Brother Adam began his breeding work with these hardy colonies.

• Foundation: A mix of the Italian bee and England's old native bee (the European dark bee).
• Expansion: In later years Brother Adam travelled through Europe, North Africa and the Middle East studying bee races; he brought many races into the line through crosses, among them the Anatolian bee.
• Method: Controlled mating at an isolated mating station away from foreign drones, and strict selection in every generation.

Characteristics of the Buckfast bee

The goal of Buckfast breeding was not a single trait but a balanced working bee. The traits emphasised in selection are:

• Gentleness: Stays calm on the comb during inspection; good lines can be worked with little smoke.
• Low swarming tendency: Reduces the labour spent on swarm control.
• High productivity: Builds a strong population and makes good use of long flow periods.
• Disease resistance: The line's origins lie in the tracheal mite epidemic; today some breeders also select for hygienic behaviour and varroa-sensitive hygiene.
• Little propolis and clean working: Frames come apart relatively easily.
• Good wintering: Winters well in a temperate climate; however, because of its large population, its need for winter stores should not be underestimated.

Buckfast bees compared with native races

The second-generation problem in Buckfast bees

This is the most important thing to know when working with Buckfast bees. The line is maintained through controlled mating; its traits are not stable under open mating. When daughter queens reared from a Buckfast queen mate with the drones in your area, the offspring are a random mix of two different genetic backgrounds.

• Gentleness can be lost: Noticeably defensive colonies can appear in the second and third generations.
• Yield and swarming tendency become unpredictable: Some colonies turn out well, others poorly.
• Uniformity breaks down: Every colony in the apiary starts to behave differently.

How are Buckfast bees produced today?

Since Brother Adam's death the line has been maintained by breeders in many countries, above all in Europe. Two tools are fundamental to production:

1. Isolated mating stations: Only selected drone colonies are placed in locations that foreign drones cannot reach, such as mountain valleys or islands; young queens are mated there.
2. Instrumental insemination: Controlled insemination of the queen with semen taken from selected drones.

That is why the name "Buckfast" on its own is no guarantee of quality. You need to ask where the line was produced, by what selection criteria and how it was mated.

The regional impact of the Buckfast bee

Hybrid drones fly kilometres away and mate with the queens of the surrounding colonies. Over time this changes the genetic make-up of local subspecies. That is why it is controversial in regions where the native race is protected. In Türkiye, bringing bees from outside into the provinces of Artvin and Ardahan, the gene centre of the Caucasian bee, is prohibited; it is not possible to use Buckfast or any other race in these areas. In areas where local ecotypes are protected, consult the official veterinary service / local agriculture authority before bringing in bees.

Who is the Buckfast bee suitable for?

• Suitable: Commercial or hobby beekeepers who buy queens regularly, prioritise productivity and ease of work, and work close to busy places.
• Use with caution: Highlands with long, harsh winters; sufficient stores and forage are essential for the large population.
• Not suitable: Those who want to rear their own queens through open mating, and beekeepers working in regions where the native race is protected.