Bob wrote:
> Ernesto is correct that the solution lies with the drones.
Peter said:
Well, thank you very much. Of course he's correct about African bees, he's
from Mexico and has worked with them for decades.
With all due respect to Ernesto he is correct about the drones but simply
trying to flood the area with European drones is not the total answer.
I am a simple beekeeper. I have no agenda or peers to please. So I say what
needs to be said.
What Ernesto left out is:
Exactly like the "live and let die" method to find a varroa tolerant bee you
use the *cull the hell out of aggressive bees* in areas of AHB. to keep EU
bees.
Pull up a quote from Ernesto saying kill the aggressive AHB hives as soon as
you see the warning signs.
The method works! The only method recommended to Texas commercial
beekeepers.
Culling is not talked about enough!
Many researchers are a bit timid about telling beekeepers to cull half their
stock a year. Cull all frames over a few years is unpopular enough.
The proper way for a northern commercial migratory beekeeper to move bees to
Texas is to depopulate ALL *dinks*. Take only desirable strong hives to make
splits from. Make splits into the equipment which held those dinks.
Something to consider when buying "blow bees"! Are these being sold because
they were "dinks" or simply because the beekeeper needed the equipment for
the next spring.
Plenty of brood to make the numbers back up in Texas after losing the dinks!
I understand few on the list are familiar with commercial methods but
culling works. The opinion that perhaps these dinks have value to add to
your operation has been proven wrong over and over.
*if* you have a huge number of hives with problems then many times those
hives are sold through the bee magazines. I am always amazed at the junk
beekeepers will buy!
bob
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