Greets All
 
As regards the resistance to fluvalinate and so on - we are nearing
the end of an era. Adding poisons to beehives will soo probably be
considered to be as dangerous as it is - those chemicals are
designed/used to denature an aspect of the bugs lifestyle. Bugs are
not especially dissimilar from us biologically and some of that
effectiveness usually works on humans too.
 
Newer technologies would be worth more investment. It was mentioned a
while back that bacillus species (bacteria) have been used to control
hive moth. Why not find a similar 'cure' for varroa.
 
In a way, humans have introduced a new species of mite to an existing
range of bees. If we die in that range, it is conceivable that bees
may also become extinct for a while because we moved bugs around that
they cannot control. We therefore have some sort of obligation to fix
that.
 
A rather interesting piece of work done recently on tomatoes I think
resulted in a toxin used by little spiders to kill red spider mite
being cloned directly into the DNA of the tomatoe. Result - leaves
expressed the toxin and the mites cannot eat the leaves. They died.
 
Similarily, a virus affecting for instance varroa could be found. In
five to ten years it is conceivable that the technology will exist to
transfer the genome of a virus killing varroa into a bee, such that
at some crucial point in the brood development cycle, the brood will
begin synthesizing virus as well. Any varroa present will die. Once
that stage is passed, the DNA with the viral information in it will
be zipped up and will never be used again (eg the section that codes
for enzymes used in synthesis of brood pheremone - this section of
DNA would only be accessed during brood stages, so hence the bee
would only synthesize virus then).
 
Expense?? Well it would be quite expensive, but then again would we
all not rather have the profits of this sort of stuff going to
queenbreeders breeding specific modified strains rather than to
companies which are a bit out of date??
 
So, maybe at some point we can stop using stone implements to kill
bugs, and join the information age in treating problems - after all
DNA is information, and information is power.
 
Keep well
 
GArth
 
Garth Cambray           Camdini Apiaries
Grahamstown             Apis mellifera capensis
Eastern Cape Prov.
South Africa
 
Time = Honey