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Date: | Fri, 15 Jan 2021 06:07:22 -0800 |
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Tracheal mite hit us hard in California -- as I recall, across the state,
we suffered 70% losses.
Dr. Eric Mussen tested amitraz, and found it to be ineffective against
tracheal.
We bought menthol, which showed some efficacy.
None of us were using formic.
Breeder Steve Taber started selecting for breeders with apparent resistance
to tracheal mite.
Then, due to a glitch in an experiment, some USDA researchers
serendipitously discovered that the odor of vegetable shortening disrupted
the ability of questing young mites to locate a young bee's tracheal
opening. We started using Crisco patties.
Then Taber started selling tracheal mite resistant queens, which indeed
were resistant.
I was able to completely stop worrying about tracheal mite about six years
after its arrival in California. I had yet to use formic acid at that time.
In retrospect, it appears that the U.S. honey bee population contained some
alleles that conferred resistance to tracheal mite, and that natural
selection greatly reduced the prevalence of alleles that did not confer
resistance. This would result in "herd immunity" against the mite.
Although formic acid if efficacious against tracheal mite, I doubt that it
was ever used widely enough in the U.S. to exterminate the mite from the
bee population. However, it's use may remove the selective pressure
against alleles that do not confer resistance, so it would be possible for
nonresistant bees to pop up from time to time.
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
530 277 4450
ScientificBeekeeping.com
>
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