Our industry needs to rely on the scientist and queen breeders to lead us
in the direction of the SMR and Hygenic Bees. I feel that this is where our
future leads.
Our queen rearers need to buck up and quit using any breeder that does not
carry the SMR and/or Hygenic traits. Every drone mother hive should also
have these traits. I am not a scientist or a genetist, but the quicker
these traits are spread throughtout the industry the faster our industry
will begin to show resistance to foulbrood and mites. SMR and Hygenic's are
not the silver bullet, but represent a leap forward and away from the
chemical treadmill. (I sound like Sue Cobey, one of my hero's. The other is
Marla Spivak.)
I have used SMR and Hygenic breeders in my yards for the last 5 years.
I have reduced, but not eliminated chemical treatments by only treating
hives that fail my thresholds. Rearing queens from these breeders in my
yards have shown me that it takes time to develope these traits in an open
mating scheme.
Would it not be great to hive a swarm that you were called to pick up and
be fairly certain that it has some SMR and Hygenic traits, because every
hobbyist and beekeeper in the area, has purchased queens with these traits.

Frank Wyatt
WG bee
Eden, NC

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