BEE-L Archives

Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

BEE-L@COMMUNITY.LSOFT.COM

Options: Use Monospaced Font
Show Text Part by Default
Show All Mail Headers

Message: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Topic: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Author: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]

Print Reply
Subject:
From:
Bob Harrison <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 22 Jul 2008 09:08:29 -0500
Content-Type:
text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (89 lines)
Hello Randy & All,

Randy said:
> These stocks are excellent in their own ways.  However, none are yet
> perfect--the Russians (as Bob Harrison has detailed) may not be suitable
> for
> early pollination.  The Minnesota Hygienic are not very mite resistant, 
> and
> Dr. Spivak is struggling with finding combinations of mite resistance and
> honey production that her cooperators are happy with.

The advances in varroa control through breeding has been significant but we
still have a ways to go. Dr. Shiminuki said we would be able to breed a
varroa tolerant bee within twenty years. Next year will be the 20 year mark.
I think Dr. Shiminuki knew the task would not be easy. Maybe the only
researcher which did at the time! Most large beeks felt they could let
varroa kill off the weak and breed from survivors. Was unsuccessful for the
most part and the project failed when breeding from survivors was tried at
the baton rouge lab( Dr. Harbo).

According to Dr. Harbo survivor queen selection was the drawback. Breeding
from the hives with the lowest mite loads was not a reliable method of
breeder queen selection. Hence he looked to science for why certain hives
can survive varroa as did Dr. Spivak.

Hence the discovery of SMR/VSH which was a big step in the right direction.

I also thanked Dr. Harbo last time we spoke! Dr. Harbo is now retired.

I remember many queen breeders shaking their heads as to "Shims" time frame.
Many believed they could produce a varroa tolerant bee faster. Including
researchers from the Baton Rouge Bee lab ( if reading the post you know who
you are!). Six years was the time frame those researchers predicted. "Shim"
was saying one thing and other labs were saying another in the halls of bee
meetings. Still "Shim" held his position.

Again:
The head of Beltsville was saying one thing and several other researchers
were saying another. Very confusing!

Most beeks sided with the other researchers simply because they wanted the
time frame to be six years! "Shims" popularity was at a all time low!
I kept an open mind myself but have always felt
that "Shim" was the best U.S. beekeeping mind to step forward from U.S.
researchers in my lifetime.

Has beekeepers beside myself thanked Dr. Shiminuki lately? "Shim" now lives
in Florida. His wife keeps hives of bees.

Dr. Shiminuki was sure of his time frame. So sure he traveled to Russia to
look into bringing in the Russian queens. Which has proved to be a smart
move. The Russian import was met with criticism from most areas of 
beekeeping.
Even myself doubted the project success at the time but did not speak out
against the project. In fact you can search the BEE=L archives and see I
have never said bringing in Russian queens was a bad idea.

The Yugo bee import had went the way of the Yugo car so bringing in the
Russian queen was a hard sell as was a big and expensive undertaking.
Although some success was had in varroa control with the Yugo queens they 
had
the same drawbacks as the Russians in that although varroa tolerant they
needed checking for varroa loads and treatment at times.

Not a bee which
could never need a treatment. Such a line of bee *in my opinion* is not here 
yet but we have
made giant steps in the right direction. The Russian line (if kept pure) 
might be the closest to success.

> And I have thanked Dr
> Spivak recently.

I also have thanked Dr. Spivak and have taken a queen rearing course from
her. I thank she was surprised to see my name on the list (as were others on
the list like Michael Bush of beesource). A member of the Midwestern
Beekeepers, Kansas honey Producers and Northeast Kansas Beekeepers (holds
offices in all organizations) called to tell me after he attended the Master
Beekeeping class which followed the queen rearing class that I had one of
the highest graft takes in the class. I believe was mostly luck and Marla's
one on one help as my old eyes have a hard time seeing the larva.

bob

****************************************************
* General Information About BEE-L is available at: *
* http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm   *
****************************************************

ATOM RSS1 RSS2