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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Subject:
From:
Dee Lusby <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 17 Oct 2005 22:23:00 -0700
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Bob writes:
Interesting discussion Dee!

Reply:
Yep, talking between us has always been interesting Bob.

But I misquoted to you earlier. I am getting old in memory
I guess. The mite statistics I presented at the Alabama
State Beekeepers 100 Anniv Meeting in 1997 that the Tucson
lab mailed to me down there, wasn't published until Dec 97
in ABJ. Also I forgot it was about testing for both mites,
Trachael and Varroa as beekeepers were crashing all around
us from both mites at the time. So the figures found were
for both mites.

So what does that do then for testing for one thing at a
time then by a research facility? Here it was for both
mites like would be found in a real world situation.


Bob you wrote:
In the first years many could not even get 10% to survive.
One reason being reinfestation. Even if for some reason the
hive was able to tolerate varroa and keep levels low the
hive could still not handle robbing worker bees
transporting huge number of mature varroa into the hive.


Reply:
Well, we worked around the problem by going smaller in cell
size to reduce the JGH levels in our bees to mimic Apis
Cerena so the mites wouldn't reproduce. So one mite in
would be one mite out until they were groomed off and out
of the colonoy or until they died of old age. Remember Bob,
we used to talk about JGH and mimicing Apis Cerena traits
to keep mites under control. But it can only be done by
reducing the cell size back down from enlarged artificial
sizing, one step at a time.

Also found in going smaller we got more bees per area of
brood space raised (more compacted) and this gave us more
bees then for division of labor IMPOV to handle other
problems like robbing you talk about too, and grooming and
even started seeing ones new to us the bees started doing,
aka, chewing out of varroa for example.


Bob writes:
I do not keep a colony around which shows signs of PMS in a
survivor program.


Reply:
We run everything together now strange as that may sound.
Yet this past year pulled combs from maybe two colonies
that had sickened cells in them from foul. Guess we are
sort of in a live and let die situation and to pull
something, it must be more then probably a good dozen or so
mummies per side of frame for us to pull it. Figure good
health bees should be able to clean up periodic problems,
as we consider the broodnest like an acting working liver
all animals have for riding oneself of diseases and
problems, for it turns on and off for cleansing.

Bob states:
I remove the colony from the program and most times treat
and use for pollination/honey production.


Reply:
We ourselves don't do that as we don't belive in treating
and then eating it ourselves.


Bob writes:My opinion is that the actual varroa load is not
as important as is the colonies ability to handle the
secondary infections such as PMS.


Reply:
This I would disagree with in priority as they are equal.
For if varroa chew on bees and cause wounds, then they
vector in infection and one goes then hand in hand with the
other for control and cannot be seperated. For reduce the
mites, you then reduce the chewing upon the bees bodies
creating open wounds, when then stops the vectoring in of
sedondary diseases like PMS or parafoul.


 Bob writes:Is mite load  the best method to evaluate a
hive for varroa tolerance?

Reply:
Not in my opinion if one is thinking HIGH mite load.
Especially in the beginning of regression down for control
of the problem. You would want to see a high mite load
and/or drop. The higher the better.


Nice talking again,

Regards,


Dee A. Lusby
Small Cell Commercial Beekeeper
Moyza, Arizona
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OrganicBeekeepers/





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