In the September issue of the AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL I published a letter
(page 658) that described briefly a "bootstrap" experiment that Paul
Cronshaw (a local beekeeper and chiropractor) and I have been running on
feral (wild) colonies that somehow have survived varroa infestation on
their own.

   That is, Santa Barbara sits in a most unusual geographic location --- on
the ocean and with a vast forest and wilderness area behind it.  In
addition, a city ordinance prohibits beekeeping in the city limits.  When
varroa came into the area in the late 1980s, nevertheless, colony collapse
occurred throughout the area.

   However, feral colonies have now rebounded both in the backcountry and
in the city itself.  For several years Paul has gathered swarms and removed
colonies from buildings and trees (obviously never treated for varroa)
these past few years and has established an apiary for these colonies in a
remote location.  He has treated none of those colonies for varroa or any
other affliction.

   Last week I carefully inspected all twelve colonies but could find no
overt evidence of varroa activity --- no mites riding around on bees and no
bees with wrinkled wings.  All colonies were queenright and had an even
pattern of brood, although most suffered from starvation symptoms (no rain
since last spring, in the second year of a drought).  With a little
supplemental feeding we expect all colonies to recover quickly, now that
the eucalyptus is in bloom.

                                                                Adrian

Adrian M. Wenner                    (805) 963-8508 (home phone)
967 Garcia Road                     (805) 893-8062  (UCSB FAX)
Santa Barbara, CA  93106

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*
*     "...it is lamentable how each man draws his own different conclusions
*                from the very same fact"
*
*          Charles Darwin, in a letter to Alfred Russel Wallace on 1 May
1857
*
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