Beefolks:


Mike, in passing, comments that “Kirk Webster has Russian crosses. As with
most who initially tried Russians, he found they superceded often, and
really weren't very good bees. . . . The mite load is small, and his
breeders haven't been treated in several years. I'm in touch with him
quite often. He has told me that he has seen colonies recovering from
varroa without chemicals.”

The very fact that  they supercede often, in and of itself, could be the
Russian bees’ long-learned strategy in combating the VD, creating gaps in
brood-rearing cycle, somewhat analogous to rebooting our computer when we
find “bugs” in the system for a clean slate.  In fact, we, on this list,
have already noted how the Russians kept a ubiquitous supercedure cell
throughout the season albeit not for swarm-purposes.  This sort
of “natural” response, initiated by the bees themselves, is far superior,
in my view, to any genetically modified bees, especially since when we
impose/create “order” on nature, the act does not always result in
positive outcomes in all directions, let alone the self-contradiction that
many of us dislike GM plants while embracing GM honey bees.

Yoon,

Almost sold out this year’s crop!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
-- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and  other info ---
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::