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Subject:
From:
Randy Oliver <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Fri, 30 Jun 2006 13:30:51 -0400
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Waldemar,
Re: This is what has been said of the so-called SMR bees - tolerant of 
varroa but not productive.

I've tried all kinds of SMR crosses, and most have been miserable bees--weak
and hard to keep alive.  The problem apparently is finding the right cross.
 Last year I had Glenn Apiaries make me a Minnesota Hygienic x SMR cross. 
This was a magical combination!!!! (This individual queen, anyway--don't
know if it can be replicated).    I raised about a hundred daughters from
her and ran them last year in alfalfa, then overwintered in snow, then to
almond pollination.  Her offspring show the Varroa Sensitive Hygiene by
uncapping and removing infested pupae, and were by far the best bees I've
seen in many years.  They have negligible levels of Varroa, winter well,
survive adverse conditions--my last load in almonds got stuck in the rain
for a month with no bloom or weeds.  Other colonies in the same orchard were
on the verge of starvation, but her daughters came out looking like they
came from a spring honeyflow--big brood nests, heavy with fresh honey and
nectar, and thriving!  They apparently can make honey from mud :)  I've
never been so amazed!

When I return from almonds, I nuc up everything, and in the process go
through every frame of every colony.  After a while this spring, we could
recognize daughters of this breeder by their incredible brood nests and
populations before we even checked the hive label.

I've been grafting this year again off the original mother (in her second
year--now that she's proven herself by producing great daughters) and off
her best daughters.  I've sold many nucs, and the feedback is that those
nucs headed by the original queen or her daughters far outperform everything
else.  In my operation, they are making the difference between financial
profit and loss.

I've been keeping bees for 40+ years, and breeding queens for 20+ years. 
For the past 5 years I've been breeding for Varroa resistance, and trying
most of the resistant lines offered for sale. This queen line is the most
exciting thing I've seen.

I don't know if this cross can be replicated, and this year I'm trying the
reciprocal cross (again from Glenn).  But her best daughters are producing
exceptional daughters of their own, the the traits are heritable.

I'd like to get her genetics out to the beekeeping fraternity, but I'm too
busy to produce queens for sale or shipping on large scale (I raise about
1000 a season for my own use and local sale).  I'm not looking to hoard this
queen line, and sure think her genes should be as widely disseminated as
possible.  Any queen producers out there interested??? I'm open to
suggestions.  Email me directly.

Randy Oliver
California

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