Hi Allen & all

Is anyone in the US jurisdiction using Africanized honeybees (AHBs)
in managed beehives? By that I mean, of course, AM scutellata, or
scutellata hybridised with other races. I ask not to be mischievous, but
to follow up on endless and somewhat frustrating research on how
varroa are affecting MY scutellata here in South Africa.

Here is the fact list (as it stands on my slate; please correct/comment
where appropriate):

1. AHBs in South and Central America are said to be resistant to
varroa. However, it is said that these jurisdictions carry the less
virulent form of the mite.
2. Over the past year there has been zero difference in hives I have
treated (Bayvarol) and not treated for varroa. Both treated and
untreated colonies HAVE varroa mites, but there is no visible damage
caused by the mites, whether in the bees or brood of any age.
Evidently I must conclude that these scutellata do NOT need any
treatment for varroa. And it is said that South Africa carries the more
virulent form of varroa (since 1997).
3. All my colonies are started on strip foundation. I have just measured
worker brood cells near the bottom of brood frames, that is, cells
furthest from the foundation strip. These "natural" cells range between
4.878 and 4.762mm. One 20cm sample was taken from each of ten
hives. All these cells have been drawn by "wild" scutellata; I have not
included data from my pedigreed bees, some of which have been
deliberately upsized.

It just seems too convenient and easy to conclude that scutellata (in
my very narrow case) are resistant to varroa. But it must mean
something that the wild scutellata are building cells at 4.9mm or less.
AND that my wild and pedigreed bees seem to not be bothered by
varroa.

Barry Sergeant
Kyalami
South Africa