Dave Cushman <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>>There is constant chopping and changing to whatever is 'flavour of the
>month' with strains imported over vast distances. This has been so for
>the last fifty years if not the last century, 

Hello Dave,

ONLY since the quest for a varroa resistant mite (IMO, after 1995) have I 
seen such a Hodgepodge of ‘bee flavors‘.  Prior to this, the ‘so called 
Italian’ strains dominated my area since the later 1800‘s so I 
understand.  Any swarm caught would have accompanying traits that were 
very predictable and highly manageable.  NOW, it’s a risky adventure to 
collect swarms without heavy assessing and heavy culling.   

>I do not think the answer is exotic breeds or any particular bee, 

I agree.
However, I believe it can potentially be beneficial if ‘properly 
implemented’.

IMO< The quest for varroa tolerance has been largly at the expense 
of  'management traits’.  The complaint I hear most often in my area 
nowadays is NOT concerning varroa problems, but instead about hot 
colonies.  This IMO, seems to suggest a failure in proper selection 
occurring at the breeders end.  I don’t want to publicly describe the 
situation as catastrophic, just that it is certainly a severe annoyance 
and thorn in the side (or should I say stinger in the side) ;) of 
beekeepers in my area.

Joe Waggle ~ Derry, PA 
‘Bees Gone Wild Apiaries' 
FeralBeeProject.com 

******************************************************
* Full guidelines for BEE-L posting are at:          *
* http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm  *
******************************************************