Dear Peter and Bee-L

Adony Melathopoulos
Apiculture Biotechnologist
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Beaverlodge Research Farm
Box CP 29
Beaverlodge, Alberta CANADA
T0H 0C0

T +1 780 354 5130
F +1 780 354 8171

>>> Peter Borst <[log in to unmask]> 01/11 12:39 AM
This is what many of us want: disease resistant stock. However, there are serious problems with such a scenario -- number one being supercedure. From my view, today's commercially produced queens are rapidly superceded, some within weeks or months of purchase. And for the beekeeper who raises his own queens in order to minimize supercedure, there arises the problem of lack of control over the drone line.>>

A recently published paper address some of the concerns raised by Peter:

Palacio, M.A., E. E. Figini, S.R. Ruffinengo, E.M. Rodriguez, M.L. del Hoyo and E. L. Bedascarrasbure.  Changes in a population of Apis mellifera L. selected for hygenic behavior and its realation to brood disease tolerance.  Apidologie.  31: 471--478.

Abstract
Honeybee colonies were evaluated for hygenic behavior using a pin-killed assay.  Presence and absence of visual symptoms of brood diseases were recorded.  Colonies that removed more than 80% of dead brood after 24 hours were selected for queen and drone production and new colonies were evaluated for hygenic behavior.  This procedure was repeated yearly from 1992 through 1997.... Colonies were classified as hygenic and non-hygenic and these data were related to the incidence of brood diseases.  Total hygenic behavior increased in the population after four years of selection on queens without mating control from 66.25% in 1992 to 84.56% in 1997.  Hygenic colonies had a lower frequency of brood diseases when compared to non-hygenic colonies.  It suggested that this trait can be used as a selection criterion in queen breeders' apiaries.

The study suggests that beekeepers who practice yearly requeening can significatly raise the level of hygenic behavior in their colonies through selection of hygenic breeders and using open mating; that is WITHOUT isolated mating systems or artificial insemination.  At the end of the study, after five years of selection, colonies with hygenic stock had significantly lower levels of AFB; unselected stock had 10.1% and selected stock had 1.8%.

Admittedly, a requeening program as outlined in the study, is a long term investment, however with the drawbacks from relying on antibiotics, an investment which may prove prudent and wise.  The problems with antibiotics are four;

                a)      Resistance to antibiotics is very likely.
b)      Antibiotics can leave residues in honey and wax, which are illegal in many honey importing countries and can erode public confidence in the purity of hive products.
c)      The infective spores are unaffected by antibiotics and treatment does not reduce disease inoculum,
d)      Antibiotics tend to temporarily mask disease symptoms, making assessments of AFB infection among colonies difficult.

Ontario, I have heard, is presently producing hygenic bee stocks.  For more information visit:
http://www.gov.on.ca/OMAFRA/english/crops/facts/info_honeybeequeen.htm

Regards
Adony