Bob Harrison writes:
What (in your opinion) creates the long lived varroa and
the short lived varroa?
Reply:
Really Bob? That's like asking what creates long-lived
honeybees and short-lived honeybees in a way.
Haven't you heard that you are "What you eat". The varroa
eat the blood of our poor honeybees, aka the blood meals
that contain the JGH trigger for more mite reproduction the
bigger the honeybee is.
Honeybees have lowest JGH trigger in early spring and
largest JGH trigger in late summer that is a progressively
increased factor throughout the active main foraging year
just to add in again here.
But this long lived factor, with mites living time/age,
relative to honeybees has been around for reading a long,
long time. Back into the 1970s even and various authors
have written on it. So it is easy for you to look up,
whether it scientific publications or even the American Bee
Journal. Start around 1978.
But you say: "What (in your opinion) creates the long lived
varroa and the short lived varroa?"
Well, for opinion then.....IMPOV... the varroa feed on the
blood of the honeybees and the honeybees are long-lived and
short-lived depending upon the time of the year. We also
know that bees like other animals are what they eat so to
speak, and IMPOV here to I would like to add that in saying
this, by being what you eat it also influences the DNA
makeup, but that is another thing, but getting back,.....
Bees basically forage differently thoughout the beekeeping
year, and coincidently, just went thru this explaining with
help of Joe Waggle over on the OrganicBeekeepers discussion
list, as he posted some good links there. In early spring
and beginning late summer, going into fall bees forage on
the smaller medicinals and herbals and wild flowers, while
with many main flows bees go for trees and other bigger
blooming plants.
This is interesting in a way, for broodnest turnover is
early spring and late summer, and this type foraging then
for plants, coincides with the bees needs for medicinal and
herbals for better/stronger makeup of propolis for
broodnest cleansing out and re-sterilization for the health
of the colony while raising brood. Then during the other
time of the year, for the main flow they go for non-herbals
aka trees, other bigger blooming plants. But in doing so
the bees are long-lived it seems when in association with
the smaller herbals, etc, and short-lived when in
association with the bigger blooms and main flows. This
then passes thru the food chain thru the bees to the mites
and possibly others in hives with co-existant relationships
with our honeybees on the types of food stores, being here
sourced from either long-lived or short-lived stimulating
plants that gave either honey or pollen or propolis for
storage within the colonies.
So question back to you and others here then: Does this
mean that the propolis taken/used early spring and late
summer/fall is better for humans and other animals for
promoting longer life? And the propolis taken other times
of the year is a different quality that is relative to
short-life bees? If so, then what is the missing element of
the one that we then need to identify for us to live
longer, healthier lives, Bob.......or simply just take the
early spring and late propolis and enjoy!!! ....for lack of
other words. But also like many say the darker honeys are
better for minerals/vitamins too, as would be the pollens.
So for personal usage sell the lighter and keep the darker.
But for what makes/creates again the long-lived and
short-lived varroa? Diet of blood meal,dependent upon time
of year, that coming from the bees parallels their lives,
that seems to be made from what the bees eat also, which
breaks down to different plants at different times of year,
and coincides with broodnest cleansing time.
Regards,
Dee
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