In my country (Poland), these bees are considered to be one of the easiest to keep. The only disadvantage I noticed is that they easily get into a swarming mood (you know, when a new queen hatches and the old one takes half of the colony and flies away), you have to keep an eye on it. But if you check regularly, you will be able to react earlier. I recommend

I bought some Carniolans a few months ago for delivery next spring. I was nervous about their aggressiveness but I live on top of a mountain and we get snow and heavy frosts when those below us won't. I wasn't sure Italian bees would thrive in this climate, so I got the Carniolans. Thank you for posting this video, I think I made the right decision. Wish me luck!

Aggressive? My brother in wax, here where I live, in their homeland, land of Carniola, Carniolan honey bees, known to us as Kranjske sivke (Carniolan greys), are the most gentle bees you can possibly interact with. Due to laws they are actually the only kept bees, for good reasons. They are experts at defending their hives and due to being alpine honey bees, they are very good at overwintering, as they frugally adapt their brood depending on nectar availability. They are also more keen to swarm when overpopulation occurs and their wax is of slightly lower quality, but overall they are very friendly, very persistent, very enduring and adaptable. They do not like hot weather though and enjoy foraging after rain, so while they are excellent for temperate forests, meadows and mountain valleys, if you have sun-scorched plains, then their Italian cousins from lowlands are the better choice.

Love it Ray! Keep up these videos, the subjects are perfect. I have a number of carniolan hives from you and have fallen in love with them. Your help and guidance has been incredible for my adventure with these beautiful ladies. Thank you!

I question your comment regarding the defensive of the carniolan bee. Every source I research says they are one of, if not the most gentle/calm species of bees and most folks recommend them along with the Italian for a beginner - the only caveat is you have to monitor their swarming.

My Carniolans are much less aggressive than my Italians.

I have to disagree with your assesment of Carniolan's defensiveness. I've raised Carniolans for a long time and every once in a while, a colony is aggressive. But if I split them and feed them, they settle down. It's big, hungry colonies that are more likely to be touchy. I don't think they have any natural proclivity to be aggressive. Also, I find winter clusters to be smaller so they make good use of the available honey. Maybe I'm biased but I also think Carniolan queens react pretty quickly to changes. They seem to slow down when there is a derth and speed up production at the slightest hint of a nectar flow. I started out with them and I think we just work well together. If we can just get the weather to cooperate!!!

You said the Carni's brood later into the season which creates a larger cluster that goes through the winter. But my understanding the Carni's can be more sensitive to flows and even shut down earlier and go completely broodless during the winter where I live. They seem to be way more frugal than Italians and overwinter in smaller clusters than the Italians and dont burn through their stores so easily as Italians. And I know its all comes down to the lines, but seems to me that my Carni's are just as friendly if not more friendly than my Italians. My Carni's tend to atleast give you some bumps and warnings before popping you, as to where my Italians are more like a light switch where they like you until they dont, then just start popping you out of the blue lol. My Italians came from you guys, and Carni's came from Lappes fwiw.

I have been working my carnies with just a heads vail. That are very nice.

More aggressive or defensive??! They’ve overall been the most calm and easiest to work of all the bees I’ve had in 38 years of beekeeping with between 20 and 250 colonies in that time (in the US). Granted nearly all bees in North America are mutts regardless of color or what the queen rearer says. I’ve been using Cobey’s New World Carniolans for the last 6 years and they’re by far the calmest bees ever. Those genetics are some of the few that came from Europe in recent years, compared to others that have been here and crossed out for decades. The other factor is a good queen rearer can easily select for gentleness. So if you’re getting “aggressive” Carniolans you should switch sources.

Hello, I am a beekeeper in a continental area, at an altitude of 500 to 1300 meters above sea level with strong winters and quite variable spring. I am a beekeeper exclusively with Carniolan. I keep a bee on 5 to 8 frames of brood throughout the year and have honey to extract (as seen in my video). Beekeepers must understand that they are beekeeping with a bee that is suitable for their climate. When we imported the Italian bee, problems began with the death of bee colonies, regardless of the fact that the Italian bees are strong but eat all the food. The Italian bee is excellent for warmer areas and longer honeying periods.

Have Carni's - Italian - Buckfast - Russian and local NC Mutt bees. None of my Carni's are aggressive/defensive whatsoever. They are actually my more chilled hives. My Carniolan stock is from Michael Palmer. Really depends on the stock you bred which has so many variables. My Russians are def the most defensive for sure and will actually turn Black Bears away from tearing up a hive ( or at least slow them down to min or mod damage because they swarm the bear).

Living In Alaska. We are in year 3 with the same carniolian queen. I swear by these bees. They are fantastic.

This is completely opposite of what I have been reading. Everything I have read said the carniolan bees are more docile and start production earlier in the spring than Italian

Not sure what Carnis you have, but my Carnis are more gentle than the yellows I have.

excellent advice thank you

Love your videos. What would you say about a new keeper getting Italian/carni mix? I'm the new keeper and was urged to get them by a friend

I don’t find mine to be aggressive

I bought 2 nucs, 2 queens, of a crossbreed of carniolan /Italian ....designed for Pennsylvanian climate. They seem real gentle, and I have noted they do work of overcast days. I see them coming back with pollen.

Can you have both Italians and Carniolans in the same yard?

Free bees

i have italians and carnolians, and most of traits specified in video are true , but, aggressiveness isn't a thing with at least my carnolians, and italians I have also fly when carnolians do not. I didn't noticed difference in overwintering, both did very well, and italians do create bigger hives than carnolians(in my expirence)