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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Subject:
From:
Peter L Borst <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 11 Apr 2011 07:40:21 -0400
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More from Charlie Mraz:

It is this message I have been trying to get across to beekeepers in my 40 years of effort to establish a diversity of genes in bees to establish and maintain vigor, health and resistance to disease. Beekeeping is now in this dilemma of a very narrow genetic base and lack of genetic diversity. Through years of inbreeding and the consequent loss of many old genetic lines, queen breeders now find themselves without new blood lines to restore vigor and resistancy that were found in strains of bees years ago.

The races of bees that we had 50 years ago were completely different from these same races in the U. S. today. All races of bees in the U. S., Italians, Carniolans, Caucasians, are really no longer like the stock that came over here originally. No new blood has been added to the genetic pool for almost 50 years from the country of origin of these different races. Practically all of them through constant inbreeding and genetic degeneration have become susceptible to one or more diseases. Many strains of bees today cannot survive except under constant medication of drugs for Nosema, EFB, AFB, paralysis, etc.

This problem of genetic diversity with bees in the U. S. has neither the support of our beekeeping scientists nor of the beekeepers themselves. Both seem content to solve the disease problem with "magic drugs", an easier solution to the problem than the complexities of restoring the natural resistance bees have maintained on their own over their millions of years of existence. After 40 years of effort I have not succeeded in getting any cooperation from large queen breeders to help produce and perpetuate this diversity of genes for resistance and to make it available to the many beekeepers who may be interested.


Genetic Vulnerability
CHARLES MRAZ
Middlebury, Vt.
1973

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