| The result of all these travels, as well as many years of patient experiment at the breeding station on Dartmoor, was the Buckfast Bee. This bee is a good pollen gatherer, and is normally gentle. It also has a lower tendency to swarm than many other varieties, and is resistant to Acarine Buckfast queens are now kept by beekeepers all over the world. Brother Adam wrote three books about the Buckfast Bee, including "In Search of the Best Strains of Bees" (1983), and "Beekeeping at Buckfast" (1975). In 1974, he was awarded the O.B.E. for his work. Br. Adam resigned from the Bee Department at the age of 93. He died in 1996 in his 99th year. The Buckfast apiaries continue to thrive today. They are now under the management of Dr. Dhafer Behnam. Coming from Iraq with all the enthusiasm to proceed with beekeeping here, he is using the experience gained from running and breeding a large number of colonies in Baghdad. Besides his academic knowledge in natural science with a degree in medicine and specialization in skin diseases, he was also trained in Germany to manage honeybee pathology. His experience was boosted when he worked as a consultant for the FAO and WFP of the United Nations. The ongoing objective of bee breeding at the Abbey is to produce bees that are more resistant to diseases, especially to Varroa, and ultimately more productive. The total number of hives in production currently is about 240 which are spread throughout the locality in 9 apiaries. It is expected that these stocks will be increased over time. In 2004, more than four tons of honey were produced. In addition to honey production, a breeding station is maintained on Dartmoor with the aim of conserving the purity of the lines we produce. Some surplus queens are produced each year and these are made available for sale. |