On Wed, 20 Mar 1996, Vince Coppola wrote:
 
> >
>         I'm not opposed to the importation of semen but I am not sure we
> are ready for it. If we had the semen from a truly resistant line, we
> would still have to do all the very expensive selection and assay work
> that it took in the the first place, or the traits will be lost. Sure
> this is the best approach to our problem but I doubt the industrys desire
> or ability to support such work. This may sound negative but just look at
> all the unused research we have now. Most beekeepers are not willing or
> able to incorporate new techniques into their management. Even
> re-queening isn't practiced enough. How many beekeepers will adopt a
> system of disease control that requires real queen management ? How many
> will simply look for cheaper chemicals ? How did beekeepers choose to
> deal with AFB ? T-mites ?
>
Vince has brought up the biggest problem with beekeepers. We do not
change very fast if at all. How many beekeeper would not use apistan and
lost there bees and will not keep bees anymore. We know good queens and
we see the results of bad ones.Requeening solves some problems , if of
course your new queen is better than your old one.I have a friend in
Eastern Washington who has 3400 hives. He told me that 1/2 of his new
queens were no good.  The bees did not pay any attention to her.We all
need to talk about our queen problems with the breeders and each other if
the breeders don't take it as help.
 I like the statement real Queen management. There is one thing that
leads the productivity of your hive.You can use all the gimmicks in the
world , but if you have a poor queen , you will have poor results.We all
need to pay close attention to our queens brood pattern.I have a couple
hives that are very slow this spring. I'm about to add the bees and the
honey to a hive that has a great queen. She will turn that honey into
more bees at a faster rate than the slow queen. I will split the hive in
a couple of weeks when I get my new queens.
  Steve Taber told me something one time that I never foregot. It was
about clipping the wings on the Queen.He Said, I have no scientific proof
to back it up, but I think the workers sence that they have a weak or
deformed queen and may suppersede the queen sooner , if she is clipped.
That is trying to look at it from a workers standpoint. I don't clip but
I do mark the queen
in most cases.
 
  Our researchers need there hands untied. They have to be held
respossible for there work. I did hear about a couple bad mistakes that
were made in the past.That is behind us and we just need control at all
times.
 We will overcome Varroa , but it will not happen if we sit back and wait
for someone else to do it for us.Every one of us should take a good look
at our queens. Demand the best , but we have to help the breeders. They
need honest information.I will be picking up bees and queens in two weeks
from a breeder in California that I bought from last year for the first
time. When I told a couple   of my beekeeper friends who I was getting
them from , they said that the queens were no good. I asked them if they
thought my bees bees were ok. They said that they did great for the first
year. It was one yard that I had.I told them the bees and queens and bees
came from the same breeder.Now here is the punch line,Last year the
breeder changed where they were getting there breeder queens. I knew that
and I did my home work about the breeder queen breeder .also.
 We have some queens that have fallen down and we have some people like
Sue Cobey that is fighting a uphill battle to improve some carni stock
with a co-op. Vinnce is working hard to improve his bees against the mite
, plus many others. Beekeepers need to try them and evaluate them and
give the breeders feedback.I'm trying about 15 queens from a different
breeder , just to see and learn.
 I look at my bees on a frame and talk to them sometimes. Its good for
the neighbors, they think your crazy , then you have unlimited behavior
and not many problems.
Bee Happy and Help your Neighbor
 Roy