# General beekeeping > Your Favourite Links >  IWF.de

## beebreeder

IWF.de
Its got loads of bee related clips but looks as if its going to be shut down so have a quick look
kev

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## Adam

Here's the link with english bits - I'de forgotten about these..

http://www.iwf.de/iwf/do/mkat/listin...SearchStr=bees.

I like the clarity of the voice-over.

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## KR68

Hi I hope u are still on this site. Do you have any details of the hives they use especially the large floor.I think the year program with the lady wearing no protective clothing is quite remarkable. Who are the IWF?I am thinking of altering my top bar hives to make the entrance from underneath. KR


> IWF.de
> Its got loads of bee related clips but looks as if its going to be shut down so have a quick look
> kev

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## Jon

Hi KR68.
can you still access the German videos as the original site has gone?
I seem to remember one of the local associations had downloaded them and put up links.

The hives might have been Langstroth Poly Hives.

Welcome to the forum btw.

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## Calum

Hi the hives are Zander - just a tad shorter and shallower than Langstroth.

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## janesik

My hero (heroine actually) from IWF

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKTvp1lupHY

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## Mellifera Crofter

Yes, I saw some of that video a few weeks ago.  I'll go back and watch it all.

She's so quick and efficient - the bees are hardly disturbed at all.  I did wonder though whether she squashes any bees - does she manage to sweep them all aside with those rapid movements before returning a box to the hive?

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## nemphlar

The woman's a magician, can't imagine crushing bees with such abandon in the uk and getting away with it. What type of bee is it? I thought I heard mention something about different strains

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## gavin

LOL!  To be fair there isn't much sign of crushed bees on the rims of the boxes.

The Celle bee institute was active breeding carniolans.  Could well be the same stocks that went out to NZ as semen and then returned here as some of the imports recently.  I've been at those bees as unprotected as the Super-heroine and didn't feel threatened at all.  Would like to breed natives that gentle and I'm sure that it would be possible.

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## Calum

> Would like to breed natives that gentle and I'm sure that it would be possible.


according to our regional state beekeeping expert, 3-5 generations of queen selection are enough to breed peaceful slow to swarm bees.
He recommends three groups of 10 hives for selection, and a drone free locatlion for the queen mating or using AI.
The latter is probably the biggest isssue I guess.

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## Jon

> according to our regional state beekeeping expert, 3-5 generations of queen selection are enough to breed peaceful slow to swarm bees.


I am sure that's true. Breed from the best and more importantly, cull any queens which head colonies showings signs of aggression.
Roger Patterson said he was able to make a massive improvement in the local stock in Sussex in just a couple of years.
The problem is, you can not do this on your own and it involves getting together with the other local beekeepers.

Germany seems to be very well organised about continuous improvement of the Carnica race whereas in most parts of the UK it is a free for all.

The demonstrator in the videos is a really good handler and works quickly but without any sudden movements.
The advice of 'don't try this at home' probably applies re. the lack of a veil.
A couple of years ago I opened a colony and had a couple of frames out when I got stung on the nose.
That was the point I realised that my veil was still sitting on the lid of the hive next door so I got it on pretty sharpish.

Some of the Galtee AMM bees are very docile as seen by the safety gear of the demonstrator here.

opening-up..jpg

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## Calum

I only work with gloves and a veil when a colony is really aggressive and I have to get something done.
Wear it maybe twice a season. Avoid bee stings to the face by chewing propolis while you work. Masks your breath... They like my ears or fingertips, but I never have cold ears or hands... Will have to try that on the wifes feet....

Mating queens in our area is ok, they tend to be ok as we all have carnica (so letting them mate with local drones is ok), it is easy to get good quality queens and many beekeepers are proficient in raising queens, so no need to make to with poor quality stock. Usually at some point one or another beekeeper has so many queens they give them away - raising batches of 30 bees in an incubator has such a low loss rate you tend to get overrun at some point....

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