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Subject:
From:
Bob Harrison <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sun, 3 Oct 2004 20:36:44 -0500
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From: "Bob Harrison"  " Have you ever tested your bees for hygienic behavior
by freezing a section of > comb (to kill brood) and seeing the amount of
time needed to remove the
dead > brood (24 or 48 hours)?"
Robin asks:
Fascinating ...but Bob has gone off track here.

Happens but not often. Usually when I misunderstand the question  then my
friends Aaron or Murray send a direct email saying we think you
misunderstood the question and  I most likely have so I correct myself on
BEE-L as I want Bee-L to be correct.

I am going to try and explain the current termonology being used in varroa
research & hygienic behavior in the U.S. so we will all understand the
termonology in current use.

 Robin said:
  He is suggesting testing the ability of small cell bees to remove DEAD
brood.  But if small cells bees are removing varroa affected pupae , those
are still LIVE - so a different behavoiur is involved.

A different behavior  might indeed be in use but in U.S. research the
behavior still comes under the wording of *hygienic behavior*.

If you have got access  to the current issue of Bee Culture (Oct. 2004) and
the article by Dr. Sanford you will see the terminology I am about to speak
about in print.

From pg. 24 of the article you will see in print the  description of the
hygienic behavior described above included under the heading of hygienic
behavior. The removal of both dead & live are included in Dr. Spivak's
description of hygienic behavior.

Quote by Dr. Spivak from the article:

"Uncapping and removal of *infested larva & pupae* by adult bees, the
"hygienic behavior" thought to be ---"

The only test I have ever heard of for hygienic behavior in bees involves as
I posted the removal of dead brood in a certain time frame. I use the
freezing method of kill and Dennis M. used the pin kill method . Both are
correct.

Autogrooming refers to grooming of bees by themselves and allogrooming
refers to the grooming among bees.

If one goes back to the time I came on BEE-L you will see I used the word
*resistance* in talking about bees which can handle the varroa mite. About
two years ago I started using the wording "varroa tolerance".

The bee research world is replacing the word varroa resistance with the word
varroa tolerance. Both are *correct* as Dr. Sanford points out in his
article. Hence the reason my posts on BEE-L have been using the word
tolerance ( instead of resistance) the last couple of years.

I speak with many researchers directly and want  to use the same terminology
so I can be sure we are on the same page.

Sincerely,
Bob Harrison

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