> although Dee says she's not using treatments - but if
> you 100% resistance that you don't need to treat. 
> Anything less than 100% resistance implies treating.

Hello Waldemar,

I enjoy your letters, but I’m not sure there is a such thing as 100 percent resistance.  I will give an example based on my experience.  I instruct those I have provide bees to, to not treat under any circumstances, and they should do fine.  I have resisted the sending of queens and supplying nucs out of my area, because, although I am having success in my area getting the bees established with the locals, those further out, I sometimes hear troublesome reports.  I don’t know why this is, perhaps different mite pressures.  What ever the reason, what appears to be sufficient resistance in my area, my not be sufficient in an area experiencing higher mite pressures, so this is why I remain reluctant to sell bees out of my region.  I am seeking to establish contact with breeders that raise bees resembling the old Italian line, wild Italian type, or those sometimes described as Albino Italians,  for possible trade or purchase for needed traits.

> Was resistance to TM idealistic?  

I don’t see a problem with TM here.  I suspect if you buy northern stock, they perhaps are the most TM resistant, due to the difficulty in selecting for TM resistance in the south, in the north, colonies not resistant to TM generally die mid winter.  

Joe
Feralbeeproject.com



      

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