Hello Isis & All,
I can buy what you are saying Isis. I also can buy that bees can pull and
eat pupa at times.

I also say that's not what I saw happening in my SMR observation hives.
Eating a purple eyed pupa would take a few minutes would you not agree? It
is my humble opinion if the SMR bees were munching (especially several bees
at a time on a pupa as the web site suggests) I would have observed in my OB
hives.

My opinion is that the *pure* II SMR breeder queens we received from Glenn
apiaries had less varroa drop than any bee I ever tested. Would you not
agree Isis?

The shotgun pattern was the pattern of the breeder queens and the F1
daughters. Would you not agree Isis?

What is your opinion Isis as to the cause of the shotgun pattern you and I
observed?

Here is my opinion:
The shotgun brood pattern displayed in the II SMR breeder queens I received
and the F1 daughters was exactly like poor brood viability I see from
inbreeding. Been looking (at times) at poor brood viability for over 40
years in hives. Actually was rare in my hives until I got those SMR queens.
Poor brood viability is the enemy of the commercial beekeeper!

My opinion and I have no reason to think otherwise is simple concerning my
ob hive observations. The eggs were diploid and the eggs & an at times very
young larva were eaten (exactly as you stated in your last post and is in
all the bee books of the world).

My experience tells me that bees will consume pupa when starving. Otherwise
they toss out the entrance. I have a hard time grasping the explanation on
the web site I provided that all these SMR  bees are feeding on the pupa
instead of simply tossing out the entrance.

I have done quite a search trying to confirm that bees will consume sacbrood
, AFB or simply dead larva if not starving. Pulled from cell and tossed from
entrance or flown out 20 feet (Are researchers sure of the 20 feet figure.
Sure not 19 or 21 feet. Kidding!)

The only munching reference says (as Isis posted) that bees EAT diploid eggs
& larva as SOON as detected.


All reference said bees remove varroa and bite off parts. I found no
reference which said bees ate the whole varroa (as suggested by the site).

I think further research is needed.

Bob

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