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:
Date:
Thu, 30 Mar 2000 18:03:04 -0600
Content-Type:
text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (36 lines)
Harry,
I my opinion you have given the cell size issue a lot of thought. i
agree with most you have said but i don't have the answers to give you .
I have thoughts about getting the smaller bees but cannot prove my
ideas.
I kept smaller bees when i started beekeeping in Missouri. I kept a
strain of small black German bees for years. They had one fault and that
was temperment. They produced a lot of honey but not as prolific as my
Italians. I kept raising queens from her for almost ten years but
eventually lost the line. The queen would go right thru a modern queen
excluder so i had to use a old wood slate excluder made YEARS ago.
I got a interesting call from a Iowa beekeeper complaining about a
Missouri beekeepers nucs last year. This Missouri beekeeper sells around
300 nucs a year. The Iowa beekeeper wanted me to give him the source of
my queens. Why? Because those tiny queens he got went right thru his new
queen excluders he bought last year and laid eggs in all his honey
supers. I gave him the name of my queen breeder but plan on checking
those small queens out.
How about a quote from page 22 of the varroa handbook.
In the Indian bee,Apis Cerana-original host to varroa,varroa mites are
unable to reproduce in WORKER BROOD. Female mites may enter worker cells
,but will remain trapped for the full pupation period,unable to even lay
an egg. This fact alone reduces the mite's chances considerably and new
generations can only be produced when drone brood is present in the
colony. The quote is exactly as above-look it up-except i added-original
host to varroa for beekeepers maybe not aware of that fact.
A mite is not supposed to kill its host and doesn't with Apis Cerana.
The above is my answer why Apis Cerana servive varroa and Apis
melliferia don't.
I am a well read beekeeper not a DR. Shiminuki. If i am not on the right
track tell me so i can get on with my life. I have got about one more
week before beekeeping season starts full time and then it will be late
at night if at all i will be able to do bee-L.
I think you are starting to at least think about my theory.
Bob

ATOM RSS1 RSS2