Aaron Morris wrote:

>>Open mated is a crap shoot, I do not think so. Honey bees for eons have
>>been mating in the open to create the variability that gives breeders
>>today the material they use to manipulate the genetics for the good or
>>bad.
>>
>>
>True.  If your goal is a diverse gene pool, a real primordial soup of genes,
>then open mating is ideal to keep everything, the good and the bad all mixed
>up.  If diversity is the sole goal, then open mating ideally serves the
>goal.
>
>
My bees open mate, but I know they will never be a super bee since it is
a crap shoot. The problem is mostly the beekeeper but also the bee

First, you have no control over the drones that come from other yards
which probably use pest controls. So you are diluting any advantage
right off.

Second, the beekeeper will use controls, be they organic or whatever, to
keep their bees alive, so the bees are really not the fittest survivors.

Third, because your bees are not really adapted to "total killer" pests,
they will die off if untreated. Most beekeepers are not ready to suffer
such financial losses, especially since when they start over and do not
treat, they will lose those bes too.

So the beekeeper or his neighbor treats and the natural cycle cannot
take effect and the bees will never accommodate to the pest. The bee has
accommodated to your treatment regime.

Or the beekeeper does not treat and his hives die off and infect other
beekeepers with high pest loads which could overwhelm even SMR bees.

For several years my bees were impervious to tracheal mites with no
treatment. A couple of years back I lost two hives to tracheal so am
treating again.

I think the super bee will win out in the end. I started with Italians
and shifted to NW Carnies. They are mutts now, but if a good varroa
tolerant bee with semi stable genetics does emerge I would requeen them
all.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine