Randy wrote:
.  In the new Journal of Apicultural research,
> there are two papers by (variously) Drs Villa, Harbo, Danka, and
> Harris.  Their testing of lines includes added varroa pressure by
> inserting frames of heavily infested brood.

I am surprised a recent paper would have Dr. Harbo's name as Dr. Harbo has
been retired quite awhile now. I approached
Dr. Harbo at an ABF meeting concerning using "added varroa pressure" around
four (maybe five years ago) mainly at the request of my good friend Dann
Purvis as Dann  said his efforts at getting the Baton Rouge bee lab to
incorporate the method into their program had little interest.

Dr. Harbo and I discussed privately the issue for around twenty minutes but
Dr. Harbo kept trying to pick my brain on what commercial beekeepers were
doing at the time . My beekeeping partner Glenn Davis looked over and
grinned as he could see Dr. Harbo seemed at the time uninterested in "added
varroa pressure" and interested in picking my brain. I called Dann Purvis 
and said I did not believe Dr. Harbo
was interested now but would try again our next meeting which never happened
as Dr. Harbo surprised us all with his retirement.

I am excited to her the lab is using "added varroa pressure".

> I'm glad to hear you mention Dann Purvis.  His concept of a
> "challenge" yard is key not only for screening for parasite resistant
> stocks, but also to effect epigenetic up regulation of resistance genes
> that then are preactivated in that queen's progeny.

I was impressed with Dann from the first time we spoke. Dann tried to
explain his research over the phone and was surprised when I agreed to visit
his lab. I brought an employee to learn instrumental insemination and spent
three days in his lab or looking through his research hives.  Dann and I had 
a common background. Dann had worked with raising and breeding fresh water 
fish. I had worked with raising and breeding
salt water fish for decades.

  However, recent field data by Dr Frank Eischen do not support
> that hypothesis.  He did not find that fall pollen supp feeding
> increased mite levels!  We could use more data on this subject.

Dr. Eischen did not think feeding pollen supp and of course mass quantities 
of
syrup did not increase varroa levels in his test hives?  I am not a big fan
of his (which he knows) but common sense says when you start raising brood
rearing to peak levels you also raise varroa breeding to peak levels. I am
surprised the USDA-ARS would waste their time with such testing. With all
due respect to Dr. Eischen I would repeat the experiment.

Dr. Eischen  calls me a affectionately "a pot stirrer". Dr. Eischen  knows 
the kitchen can get pretty hot when I am in the kitchen "stirring the pot".

Bob

On the lighter side:

Rumor around the USDA-ARS is the Obama administration is going to appoint
Bob Harrison beekeeping Czar.

A few at the USDA-ARS would hate to see me beekeeping Czar! Although I give 
the USDA-ARS heck at times I think we have a great bunch of researchers and 
I even said flattering  comments about Dr, Eischen when I did the article on 
the Weslaco Bee Lab. Still he calls me "a pot stirrer".

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