Joe Waggle writes:
> If the 'Invasion of Varroa mites into mite-free colonies' study is to be taken as factual, we must then consider there would also be a GREAT transfer rate of varroa, and mixing of varroa genetics (throughout the summer) in and out of the Arnot Forest
* I don't see how any of us can intelligently discuss "varroa
genetics". Supposedly varroa mites basically clone themselves, so
apparently there is very little variation. Unless one specializes in
mite biology, it's just talk.
> This research appears to contradict Tom Seeley's Arnot Forest, 'non-virulent mite theory' which relies heavily on the assumption of virulent mites <<<'succumbing in winter with the colony'>>> and a 'non transfer of mites between colonies' as the bases for the assumption that non virulent mites are the sole cause for the feral honeybee survival in the Arnot forest.
* I don't think Tom or anyone pointed to "non-virulent mites" as the
"sole cause for the feral honeybee survival in the Arnot forest".
There are a great many factors and he only studied one, which was that
the bees themselves may have developed heritable resistance to varroa.
This seemed not to be the case, so he offered a possible alternate
explanation. Tom never developed nor promoted any "non-virulent mite
theory" as you call it. Personally, I can think of many other factors
that could lower mite levels, such as the fact that the bees are
living high in trees and swarming on a regular basis. Annual swarming
has a very strong negative effect on mite buildup.
> Since this study appears to have struck a great hole in the non virulent theory. One must now entertain the potential for a cause other than non virulant mites. Perhaps, just perhaps, an adaptive varroa resistance mechanism may exist in the feral honeybee population of the Arnot forest.
* Or maybe one must look for another cause of the non-virulence. You
seem to leave out the chief reason mites are so destructive and that
is the virus load they bring. Maybe in isolated spots bees do well
because of the lack of new strains of viruses.
We know that some isolated bees can survive for years without
treatment, whereas bees in areas with there is a heavy bee population
-- and especially if there are a lot of migratory operations --
develop severe mite problems much more quickly. I have seen firsthand
this phenomenon. I have seen isolated colonies where no-one has opened
the hive in years (but me) and the bees are fine.
This summer I saw a yard of nucs just ruined by varroa mites (nucs
normally don't crash the first year). We attributed this to the
likelihood of their having picked up high mite loads from crashing
hives in neighboring bee yards. In the area there are dozens of
apiaries, many only a mile or two apart, and most of them are
migratory, moving back and forth between NY and FL.
If you are going to talk about virulence, you have to understand what
that means. Since mites are so inbred, it would seem less likely that
it has to do with "mite genetics" than it has to do with other
infections. As we have said, mites are a vector for a variety of
viruses and other pathogens, and they weaken the honey bee immune
system. There is an immense amount of work that needs to be done on
the immune system of the honey bee, as well as the vectoring of these
many pathogens. I haven't even mentioned the Nosema connection, which
further complicates the whole story.
It would great if beekeepers could all move into the mountains and
maintain isolated apiaries; a lot of the problems might sort
themselves out. It would be great if all you had to do was install
mountain grown queens into your hives and all the problems would go
away.
However, many of us realize that there are large-scale beekeepers and
they still have a right to keep bees the way they do, moving about the
country and doing pollination for hire. With the price of honey so
variable, pollination has been the main source of income for many
companies for decades. There is also a huge market in the North for
early queens, which can only be supplied by beekeepers in the South.
I also realize that this is all very hard on small timers, especially
those who wish to forgo miticides. As a bee inspector, I am called
upon to recommend treatment for mites. I point out that if you are in
a remote area, you can probably get by with little or no treatments
but if you are around commercial beekeepers you pretty much have to do
what they do. Whether this has to do with virulent mites, susceptible
bees, or rogue viruses, I DON'T KNOW. But one study on mite transfer
due to robbing, frankly, proves nothing.
--
Peter L. Borst
Danby, NY USA
42.35, -76.50
picasaweb.google.com/peterlborst
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