Bob Harrison wrote:
> what exactly are the implementation of control strategies for say KBV?
> Good beekeeping management practice that enhances honey bees' natural immunity to virus infections ... is one of the steps to successful beekeeping even if virus was not an issue.

Here you answer the question yourself. But as I have tried so often to
pint out, viruses are always an issue. It has been shown that viruses
are present in almost all apiaries, around the world. So what is
needed, IMHO, is a comprehensive plan for raising healthy bees. If
this can be fully understood, then we have a good starting point.

But you see, the first thing in most people's mind is "How much money
will I get?" Beekeepers often give lip service to the idea that you
have to take care of the bees first, and expect to profit later. But
then, they turn out to be their own worst enemies, propping the bees
up with chemicals, trucking them thousands of miles.

Now, I am not belittling the need to make a living, of course. Maybe
this is not something a commercial beekeeper can afford to "fool
around with". My proposal, again, is to set up bee yards for the
express purpose of raising healthy bees. Somebody needs to figure out
what is an ideal environment, nutritional requirements, colony size,
strain of bee, etc.

Bees have traditionally been raised in the south and forced to build
up early to meet commitments for shipping orders or pollinating. The
opposite approach would be to raise good strong colonies during the
summer in order to have them ready the following spring. But few large
scale beekeepers even consider keeping bees over winter in the north.

Another problem is that locations are generally picked for honey yield
rather than a good variety of nutritious pollen and nectar sources.
Then, hives are placed too close together and possibly too many in one
spot. Even just a small change, like having half as many hives at a
site, could reduce disease in apiaries.

I think it's high time that somebody looked into what a healthy hive
is instead of focusing on remedies. Obviously, they can't thrive with
a heavy mite load. Hell, looks like they don't thrive with mites,
period. But if the conditions are better, the bees are less stressed,
less monkeyed with, maybe then they would be able to thrive despite
viruses, mites, etc.

* * *

To summarize:

> Good bee management practice is fundamental for enhancing honey bees' natural immunity, which is the most useful tool in combating viral diseases. Stressful circumstances can favor outbreaks of viral diseases, thus any efforts that strengthen the colony health are expected to reduce the risk of virus infections. Since the varroa mite has been proven to be an effective vector in transmitting and activating viruses, timely and efficient control of the varroa mite population will reduce the incidence of viral diseases.

> In addition to controlling the vector population, effective management of bee viral diseases can be achieved by maintaining good sanitation practices, feeding bees with the proper quantity and quality of food, and replacing combs and queens when the problem is serious. Selection and breeding of disease resistant bee strains are an effective way to defend against viral attacks in honey bees.

> Several traits of honey bees, such as hygienic behavior and suppressed mite reproduction (SMR), are important behavioral mechanisms of disease resistance. The highly hygienic bees can efficiently suppress the virus infection and V. destructor infestation by quickly recognizing and removing the diseased brood and varroa mites from combs.

from
"Honey Bee Viruses"
Yan Ping (Judy) Chen,  and Reinhold Siede

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