In a message dated 12/6/03 7:13:53 PM GMT Standard Time, [log in to unmask] 
writes:


> 
> Let us revisit this issue of automatic, annual requeening practice, which
> seems, in the long run, to accelerate the weakening of the bees, a point
> that has been raised on and off here on Bee-L.  For example, such annual
> requeening robs the colony the necessary time to acclimatize to local
> conditions, in general, and worse, the invaluable time necessary to build
> up a possible resistance to the local pathogens, in particular.  Along

> with chemical usage and misusage, I believe this annual requeening is yet

> another culprit that has *helped* us create weak bees that don’t know what

> to do with mites.


You have me a little puzzled here Yoon.

I presume you are actually referring to the practice of annual requeening 
with purchased queen raised in an environment well away from where they are used, 
in which case you may have a point (although even then I doubt it).

However, in many many cases they are using the cells produced within their 
own units, and in this case I think you are quite wrong in the assertion that 
annual requeening accelerates degeneration in the bee stock.

Far from it. The regular selection of decent queens off good strains, mated 
to the locally active drones (the vast majority of queens are still open mated 
everywhere I have heard of), in local conditions, should, if done annually, 
accelerated the adaptation of the bees to the local conditions. New combination 
selected (by natural forces under beekeeper influence) every year rather than 
every two or three.

Has to be a positive move in my book.

Too many queens selected from too narrow a gene base can give rise to 
problems, but most are aware of this and open mating becomes a valuable way of 
maintaining the number of alleles in the local population.


Calluna

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