In a message dated 97-10-31 12:44:26 EST, [log in to unmask] (Paul Cronshaw,
D.C.) writes:
 
<< This posting prompted me to think about what is happening in my beekeeping
 life.
 
 I am still getting swarm calls at this time of year in Santa Barbara.  The
 sizes of swarms range from fist size to soccer ball size.  All have queens.
 
 
 I am wondering if these swarms are the result of mites.  The bees are
 breaking the mite breeding cycle by swarming at thislate in the season. I
 understand this is a trait of the AHB.
 
 Perhaps we are seeing survival of the fittest occuring in the local bee
 population. >>
 
 
   There have been an unusual number of swarms here in September and October,
usually the size of afterswarms, but with mated queens. I captured three that
came from areas where I know of no kept bees, and have not treated for varroa
mites. One was robbed out. One looks okay and may survive the winter, and one
is very poor, with a lot of bald brood and spotty brood pattern.
 
   I also wondered if they were absconding from varroa infested wild hives,
but have seen no evidence of any varroa on any of them, either on the adults,
or in later brood checks.
 
   We had a table in a festival last Saturday at the University, and we had a
wingless worker drop right onto one of the tables. There were live oaks
around, none directly overhead but nearby. I looked and looked for evidence
of flight from any cavities overhead, but did not sight any active flight. It
was sunny, and the temp in the high 70's so any active hive should have been
visible.
 
   The worker was about half normal size, with thread wings (so she could not
have flown any farther than the breeze could have taken her from whatever
altitude), and her right rear leg was apparently parallyzed.  I would say she
came from a wild colony in the final throes of varroa infestation. The fact
that we could not spot any flight, indicates perhaps that she was among the
last of her colony.
 
   We were next to the museum, so I was wishing the natural history curator
were there to alert him to this interesting event, but alas, he/she was not
in on Saturday.
 
[log in to unmask]     Dave Green  Hemingway, SC  USA
The Pollination Scene://users.aol.com/pollinator/polpage1.html
 
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