This request is geographically specific to the Mid-Atlantic USA.

I'm looking for a few good beekeepers! I need help evaluating crosses.
Here's the situation:

This Spring, we're planning on making crosses of specific lines. We're
selecting for anti-varroa factor. From in-press work, Harbo has shown that
through selection, stocks of bees may be selected for traits protecting
them against varroa mites.  It's more than likely that the hot new
"Russian" bees the USDA has made available to breeders and beekeepers
express these traits.

What we're looking for are beekeepers within a tolerable driving distance
of Metro Maryland/DC that would like to help us evaluate stock for it's
potential anti-varroa factor.

You'd need to pick up the queens from Maryland (mailing them isn't
possible, sorry) and follow our establishment methodology. Once
established, you'd need to perform the varroa assays we're working on,
record the data, and store it safely until the evaluation is done. We'd
then ask for the data at season's end, and maybe get together for a
meeting and some fun. And you get to keep your queen.

Our goal: to assess the methodology and feasibility of selection for
anti-varroa factors in the honey bee population, and to support other
beekeepers, bee breeders and biologists concerned about our LACK OF
CONTROL in the agricultural realm of beekeeping in the USA.

Background:
We're testing honey bee stock from the HIP program (Kudos to Jack Griffes)
see: http://Griffes.tripod.com/HIP1.html
Jack has created and mentored a grassroots, cooperative honey bee selection
program. He coordinates beekeepers, bee breeders, and University faculty in
this forward-thinking and creative project.

We've also obtained stock from Dr.John Harbo, Baton Rouge, USDA bee
breeding lab.  John provided us with some excellent stock from his
anti-varroa selection research (in press).

We'll be making crosses in May and June. The queens we'd need evaluated
will be daughters from II (instrumentally inseminated) queen mothers.

I'm working on the assay to test the queens.
Drop me an email if you think you'd like to participate, or if you have any
questions, comments etc.

Thanks,

Adam
--
Adam Finkelstein
[log in to unmask]
http://metalab.unc.edu/bees/adamf