----------
Aloha and happy New Year to all. Seeing Roy posting caused me to think
maybe I might be able to get some curiosity aroused about the origin of
viruses now reportedly being found  by the USDA in 10 hives across the
United States Of America. NOTE & QUESTION was the  viruses testing done by
the USDA in the US or were the test samples taken back to Australia for
determination.
 
Aloha and happy New Year to all. Seeing Roy posting caused me to think
maybe I might be able to get some curiosity aroused about the origin of
viruses now reportedly being found  by the USDA in 10 hives across the
United States Of America. NOTE & QUESTION was the  viruses testing done by
the USDA in the US or were the test samples taken back to Australia for
determination.
 
 
 
Aloha and happy New Year to all.
        Seeing Roy's posting caused me to think maybe I could get some curiosity
aroused about the origin of viruses now reportedly being found  by the USDA
in 10 hives across the United States Of America.{NOTE & QUESTION was the
viruses testing done by the USDA in the US or were the test samples taken
back to Australia for determination. } I agree that varroa studies must
include the understanding of viruses present with the subject hive. Living
in Hawaii with our mite free colonies and desiring to protect this Hawaiian
resource that might play a vital role in the restocking of US. beekeepers
in the future I continue to be curious with the virus issue. Knowing that
some respected bee researchers  have speculated that the Kashmir bee virus
first attached to the honey bee in the southern hemisphere and has been
spread around by the international shipments of live honey bees, I remain
very concerned about the viruses. I sure would like to see some answers to
some of the virus questions.
        Can viruses be transmitted in semen?
             Are viruses a factor in varroa bee hive decline?
        Where do the viruses come from and how wide spread is the KBV in all areas
of the US?
        Can the USDA test for viruses in-house and in what volume?
        Does Hawaii have KBV?
        Does Alaska  have KBV?
        If honey bees known to have KBV are allowed to be imported to the USA will
this cause the          continued introduction and spread of viruses across the
USA?
        Does anyone know or want to know the answers to these questions?
        Is any one listening and does anybody care?
 
        I do not know the answers, and I do know if Hawaii's honey bees are really
of any special importance. If Hawaii's honey bees were found to be virus
and mite free it kind of seems like the bees could bee of worthy of
consideration and protection as a natural resource of the USA Some might
say this is a Hawaii issue and the issue is much bigger then the Hawaii
beekeeping industry. This is all about money the people wanting to import
honey bees to the US are big bucks folks and the big money beekeepers in
Hawaii don't want to do nothing as they say" There ain't nothin broke so
don't be trying to fix that which ain't broke". Well I agree that Hawaii
beekeeping is very  healthy  and the USA beekeeping  picture appears to be
badly broken, and if the Hawaiian honey bees prove to be important to US
beekeepers US beekeepers need to become more demanding for information
about viruses.
The USDA seems to have little concern for the viruses .
        Well I've given this my best shot and I need to get out and work in my
garden with our 78 degree partly cloudy weather here in Paradise. Come
visit. All who come in peace are welcome.
                Bee Healthy and God bless the United States Honey Bee
 
Walter Patton-Hawaiian Honey House and
Hale Lamalani B & B (House of Heavenly Light)
A Hawaii Beekeeper's Bed & Breakfast
27-703A Kaieie Rd.,Papaikou,HI. 96781
Ph./Fax 808-964-5401 or [log in to unmask]
http:\www.alohamall.com/hamakua/hihoney/htm.
"TheBeehive,The Fountain of Youth and Health"
 
> From: Roy Nettlebeck <[log in to unmask]>o:
[log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Surviving Varroa
> Date: Saturday, February 01, 1997 7:23 AM
>
>  Hi Vince and All,  I think your on the right track with one problem. The
> Viruses are a wild card.That has to be delt with also.There is a strong
> correlation between hive death and a virus.This area is being studied so
> maybe we can get some numbers or % of bees which have a virus.When the
> USDA did a check in the USA of 10 States All ten had viruses.. Varroa is
a
> vector for the virus. At what level and what virus do the bees have? In
> the book Honey Bee Pathology by Ball and Bailey 2nd. edition it states
how
> fast a hive can die with with a virus. Of course not all viruses are the
> same. But one bee infected with a virus has enough germ plasm to kill
> 1,000 hives.That is no little problem.As I see it, to screen for Varroa
> resistance and colony motality , you have to address the problem of
> another pathogen present in the hive.
>  My own personal idea is, the better health you maintain your hives , the
> less chance that the viruses have to kill your hives.Of course that is
> using mans brain and knowing something about immune systems.I would bet
> anything on the quality of the beekeeping will have a large effect on the
> mortality of the hives.There is too big of a spred on the death of hives
> do to Varroa. Stress speeds up the death of a hive. I found that out the
> hard way.The hives that I moved died in 30 days (50 hives) and the ones
> that I left on the mountain (30 hives) had some Varroa but were in good
> shape for the winter and made it thru OK.They did not have a resistance
to
> Varroa. I agree with finding stock that shows a resistance to Varroa. I
> think that is the only real fix.We have to way out some variables and do
a
> very controled selection. I know a beekeeper that has 240 hives and has
> never used apistan but has used grease pattys. He has checked for Varroa
> with either rolls and no mites.His hives are not moved and there is mint
> in the area he has his bees.
>  We do have a problem that can be solved over time with good research.It
> will take beekeepers all over to help get to the solution.Natural
> resistance is the answer.
>  Best Regards
> Roy