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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Subject:
From:
Jose Villa <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 13 Jul 2015 12:17:14 -0500
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Real or perceived problems with resistant bees are worth discussing.   
If a selected group of bees is only partly resistant (i.e. simply  
slows the positive growth of mite populations) it is only moderately  
useful, perhaps for sideliners and hobbyists who monitor for mite  
levels and then treat.  If this partial resistance is achieved through  
colony growth patterns that do not match the need for broody and  
populous colonies at certain times of year, then such bees are of even  
less commercial value in the current forms of migratory, pollination- 
based beekeeping.  However, if the material is highly resistant  
(capable of keeping mite numbers low or actually decreasing them) and  
this is achieved through well documented active defensive mechanisms  
the potential is there.  In theory, good performance for beekeeping  
applications and high resistance can be packaged together (with the  
caveat that there may be a cost to very high levels of resistance).   
The consensus out there among those watching resistant colonies is  
that one can find all levels of combinations of the above two  
factors.  Currently there are a number of projects looking at finding  
these "perfect" combinations.  Could commercial queen producers who  
ship hundreds of thousands of queens all over the world participate in  
the selection and distribution of bees with these characteristics?  No  
one "product" will be perfect for everybody and for every location,  
but is something close enough feasible or realistic?   It depends on  
who you ask, but judging these possibilities from very early or  
imperfect products may be unfair.

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