Buckfast Denmark

19/04/2026

Dear Buckfast Friends,
The first results of the spring varroa control came in. In the first 30 samples of live bees, taken randomly in the apiaries, only a single mite was found. This is impressive and confirms to me once again that varroa mites should not be a big problem if proper care is taken. All in all, it is about always being ahead of the mites and avoiding too high infection rates and thus viruses. If that happens, the battle is lost. Even if a bee colony is completely cleared of mites, it is lost if the virus infection is already at too high a level. And let me say: checking for dead varroa mites is not interesting in the spring. It is more important to know how many live mites there are in the colonies.

Best regards
Keld Brandstrup

04/04/2026

I received this lovely feedback from a colleague this morning - it's nice to see that the intense and hard work is paying off. It makes me happy.

Hello sir,
I work with Caucasian bees. I have long-time beekeeping friends who work with you and your queens, and as a beekeeper myself, I wanted to congratulate you, even though I don't work with the same bee breed as yours. I had the opportunity to graft onto one of your inseminated strains (€450), and frankly, congratulations! They are very resistant to swarming, have excellent hygiene, and are very responsive to flowering. As a beekeeper, I wanted to congratulate your team and you personally.

Sincerely,
Mr. Meunier

French:

J'ai reçu ce matin un commentaire très positif d'un collègue ; c'est agréable de voir que tous ces efforts portent leurs fruits. Ça me fait plaisir.

Bonjour monsieur,
Moi je travaille avec de la Caucase. J’ai des amis à moi apiculteur de longue date qui travaille avec vous et avec vos reines et en tant qu'apiculteur je tenais à vous féliciter même si je ne travaille pas avec la même abeille que la vôtre. J'ai eu l'occasion de faire un greffage sur une de vos souches inséminées à 450 € et franchement félicitations ça résiste très fortement à l'essemage très bonne hygiène et très réactive aux floraisons. En tant q'apiculteur je tenais à féliciter vos équipes et vous-même.

Cordialement,
Monsieur Meunier

03/04/2026

Dear Buckfast friends.
After an unusual winter with a couple of months of hard frost and snow in January and February, spring has finally arrived. A cold but sunny spring. The bee colonies have been monitored to check forage. The winter loss looks very good, 1-2%, and the large colonies are thriving, while the smaller ones are slower in development. So all in all, everything looks normal.
The next task is to take samples of live bees to check for nosema and varroa, although this has not been a problem for years. Since 1992, varroa has not caused serious problems, and nosema was bred out many years ago. Hopefully the warmth will come soon, as overwintered queens will be sent to waiting customers in the latter half of April. And finally, and most exciting: a closer look at the new combinations from last year. Does the result live up to expectations and has the breeding strategy been right? It is a tough wait.
The demand for queens is very high this year, so I hope to be able to fulfill all requests and ship queens throughout the season without delays due to heat waves. The sooner we get your order the better - shipping is like a puzzle.

Rgds
Keld Brandstrup

Chers amis de Buckfast,

Après un hiver inhabituel, marqué par deux mois de fortes gelées et de neige en janvier et février, le printemps est enfin arrivé. Un printemps froid mais ensoleillé. Les colonies d'abeilles ont été surveillées afin de contrôler les ressources en butine. Les pertes hivernales sont très bonnes, de l'ordre de 1 à 2 %, et les grandes colonies prospèrent, tandis que les plus petites se développent plus lentement. En résumé, tout semble normal.
La prochaine étape consiste à prélever des échantillons d'abeilles vivantes pour vérifier la présence de nosémose et de varroa, bien que ces maladies n'aient pas posé de problème depuis des années. Depuis 1992, le varroa n'a pas causé de problèmes importants, et la nosémose a été éradiquée il y a de nombreuses années. Espérons que la douceur arrive bientôt, car les reines ayant hiverné seront expédiées aux clients impatients au cours de la seconde moitié d'avril. Et enfin, et c'est le plus excitant : un examen plus approfondi des nouvelles combinaisons de l'année dernière. Le résultat est-il à la hauteur des attentes ? La stratégie de sélection était-elle la bonne ? L'attente est longue.
La demande de reines est très forte cette année, j'espère donc pouvoir satisfaire toutes les commandes et expédier les reines tout au long de la saison sans re**rd dû aux vagues de chaleur. Plus tôt nous recevrons votre commande, mieux ce sera ; l'expédition est un véritable casse-tête.

Slts
Keld Brandstrup

21/09/2025

Chers amis Buckfast,
La saison touche enfin à sa fin. Une saison différente des précédentes. La production a été facile cette année, mais l'expédition des reines a posé de gros problèmes en raison des vagues de chaleur qui ont sévi dans une grande partie de l'Europe. Par conséquent, tous les accords de livraison n'ont pas été respectés, mais je préfère livrer des reines vivantes plutôt que mortes. Les températures supérieures à 30 °C posent des problèmes. La saison prochaine, j'expédierai vers le bassin méditerranéen et l'Europe de l'Est le plus tôt possible.
Dans quelques jours, les pedigrees détaillés seront disponibles sur le site web. C'est maintenant aux informaticiens de jouer, j'ai fait ma part. La semaine prochaine est consacrée à Apimondia : des visites d'amis Buckfast, ce qui implique beaucoup de discussions et de cafés. J'apprécie vraiment ça. J'ai actuellement un surplus de reines de type 2, vendues avec une remise de 25 %. Si vous souhaitez faire une bonne affaire, envoyez-moi un courriel ([email protected]). Commande minimum de 2 pièces, expédition le 30 septembre ou livraison au congrès Apimodia le 27 septembre.
Et enfin, début octobre : départ pour la France pour des vacances bien méritées dans le 25 Doubs. Merci beaucoup pour cette saison ! J'ai déjà hâte à la prochaine.

Slts
Keld Brandstrup

21/09/2025

Dear Buckfast friends
The season is finally coming to an end. A different season from previous ones. It has been easy to produce this year, but there have been major challenges with shipping queens due to heat waves in large parts of Europe. This means that not all delivery agreements have been fulfilled, but I prefer to deliver live queens rather than dead ones. Temperatures above 30 C are a problem. Next season I will ship to the Mediterranean area and Eastern Europe as early in the season as possible.
In a few days detailed pedigrees will be available on the website. It is up to the computer guys now; I have done my part. The coming week is dedicated to Apimondia - visits from Buckfast friends which means a lot of chat and coffee. I really like that.
I currently have a surplus of type 2 queens, which are sold at a 25% discount. If you want to do a good deal, send me an e-mail ([email protected]). Minimum order is 2 pieces with shipping on September 30th or delivery at the Apimodia congress on September 27th.
And finally at the beginning of October: on the highway and off to France for a much-needed vacation in 25 Doubs.
Thank you very much for the season, I'm already looking forward to the next one.

Rgds
Keld Brandstrup

12/08/2025

Dear Buckfast friends.
Beekeeping is, as always, an exciting occupation. This queen rearing season has been easy and successful and easy in many ways, except for one thing: the work of shipping queens to customers. The heat waves across Europe this summer have caused problems since mid-June, and I still have many queens waiting to be shipped, especially to Southern and Eastern Europe. But don't worry - the queens are in stock, and they are being shipped as quickly as the temperatures allow. However, it is still difficult compared to a few years ago and annoying for the beekeepers who must wait. But a dead queen in a shipping box is a nightmare, so be patient, and let's hope for better shipping conditions soon.

Best regards
Keld Brandstrup

01/08/2025

08/06/2025

Dear Buckfast friends,
What a wonderful day - finally managed to finish one of the big and exciting challenges of the year: The final selection of breeders. Relatively new combinations do not cause problems, as there is a lot of variation in the groups with sisters. This makes the selection easier, but you also must remember what the breeding goal was for the group. On the other hand, it is more difficult with older combinations, as they often must be selected on margins and gut feelings.
Over time, I have evaluated +100 thousand bee colonies. That is an advantage. But concentration is still necessary, especially in the new combinations. The ability to observe, compare and remember is an absolute necessity. Not to mention the ability to combine all observations. The selection process is exciting as always. Does the result match the thoughts and ideas? Yes, I am very satisfied, and we continue with the targeted breeding goals.
Now we are suffering from bad weather, and it is likely that the first shipment of queens will be delayed. It's a shame, but I can't do anything about the damn weather.

Best regards
Keld Brandstrup
Buckfast Denmark