On Tue, 5 Mar 1996, <Larry Connor> wrote:
 
> It was my understanding the the Yugo bee did NOT exhibit the biting behavior,
> but resistance was based on some other mechanism. Check with Lilia De Guzman
> or Tom Rinderer at the Baton Rouge bee lab.
>
   Larry, You have brought up a very important point. I would like
someone from the USDA to explain to us how research is coming on the
biting behavior that seems to control the Varroa mite. This information
has been out now for a few years. I know that some researchers have been
very interested in testing that stock , by the use of semen that is
availible  from Austria. There are regulations to control the importation
of semen. I would think that Varroa can cause us some very big problems.
When chemicals show up in honey and they will after apistan starts to
fail. We allready have found some big outfits using chemicals that were
not approved. I'm in Washington state I remember atar on the red apples.
That still has an negative effect on the red apple market. I would not
like to see the almound growers get hit with only half the bees that they
need. Right now bees are being shipped in from all over.
 My point is , you need to ask  questions and get good answers. Help in
anyway we can in supporting the USDA and researchers.Long term fix
without chemicals. Words are cheap and I have never seen anything made
with words.I have seen people do some very amazing things when they talk
up a plan and then do it. Getting to the moon was not easy. It took a lot
of people working together with one goal. Well the way I see Varroa ,it
is dead meat.The other choice is a new fad for almound furniture.
 I'm very much focused on doing everything I can to get rid of Varroa. I
sell honey in Seattle and Redmond on the weekends. Redmond is the home of
Microsoft. I brought one of my microscopes and some Varroa for the public
to look at. Varroa look bad anyway, but I made it even worse. I had a
blue background with Varroa RED.Then I would tell the people that mite is
killing many thousands of hives.After I would explain the use of
chemicals to treat the mite, they did not like that at all. You see I
sell my honey for $ 4 for a 8 oz. hex bottle. I do not heat or filter it
and collect the honey from high in the Olympic mountains. No pollution.I
do know what the people really want.Good clean honey. Two tons in two
months is a lot for me. But I got hit with Varroa this year , because I
treared too late.So Varroa is at the top of my list.I know that there has
been work done on Varroa and more is ongoing.We have some researchers
that are doing some very fine work and they have to keep it up.
Beekeepers need to voice there opinions on the queens that they are
getting and if they are happy with them. We all need to get smarter.You
can't leave a hive in your backyard for ten years anymore and not protect
it with medication. I think a light should come on in everyones mind.
 The Best To Everyone
 Roy Nettlebeck