> Anytime anyone puts out something that’s different from what we heard or think, instead of getting introspective, we get defensive. I despise that. ... Ron is trying to assure me its his area and I could never do that well, I assure him hes wrong
Hi all
One of the main reasons I read Bee-L and participate is to have my thinking challenged. What would be the point of having a discussion where the main goal was to be in complete agreement? To me it's not just good answers I want but interesting questions.
Here's something I read:
We studied the spread of the newly introduced parasitic mite, Varma jacobsoni Oudemans, within California's population of the feral honey bee, Apis mellifera L., by examining worker bees taken from 208 colonies in 1990, 124 of which were examined again in 1993. The samples taken in 1990 did not contain V. jacobsoni mites. In 1993, 75% of the colonies examined in an area located near Sacramento, CA, no longer existed, and all surviving colonies were infested with V. jacobsoni. In an area located near the Californian central coast, 84% of the nest sites examined were occupied and few colonies contained detectable levels of V. jacobsoni. The probability of survival for colonies that have not survived a winter yet (founder colonies) has been previously reported to be low in areas with a temperate climate. Data collected in an area with a low level of Varroa mite infestation suggest that the probability of founder colony survival is higher in California with a mostly Mediterranean climate. The data collected in areas with a high level of Varroa mite infestation suggest that the parasite reduces the mean life span of feral honey bee colonies in California to between 6 mo and 1 yr.
Kraus, B., & Page, R. E. (1995). Effect of Varroa jacobsoni (Mesostigmata: Varroidae) on feral Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in California. Environmental Entomology, 24(6), 1473-1480.
PLB
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