--- Bob Harrison <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > We have used Marla Spivak hygienic drones for a > cross but the hybrid did not > improve. We tried other hybrids. Still no > improvement. Poor brood viability. I have seen brood viability that looked a bit spotty to me but in my hygienic colonies that actually tested acceptable at above 85%. This is a bit puzzling to me, and I am still advancing in this area because I hate spotty brood, and yet somewhat acceptable still, because IMO this is reflective of a highly developed hygienic sensitivity in removing fondress and not necessarily indicating poor queen viability. IMO, In most instances 'overall fecundity in the broodnest' (ref. Bro Adam) would be a better judge in queen performance. > Come on lurkers not worried about your reputation! > Speak up about your > experience! There are some lurkers that have spoken up about SMR, but not on this list. Since Jim intended this for public consumption by mentioning it on a 'public forum', I will mention it here. First, let me get the formalities out of the way as it seems to be the practice we are adopting here. I dearly admire Spivak, Huber, Bro Adam, Dee Lusby, Harbo, Jim Fischer, Dave C and the many others, far too many to list, for their work helping the beekeeping community. I love them all dearly, and comments made on this list are never intended to offend or disrespect anybody and are only intended for promoting discussion and progressive thinking! Jim Fischer has mentioned on Beesource, in the "Beekeeping 101" forum, post #1737 Stated in the "What's "SMR"?" thread: The question was "What's SMR?". Jims answer was: "Superior Marketing Rationale"! "By convincing beekeepers that they are "selecting" for some trait or other, bee producers (not to be confused with actual breeders, who really DO selection and crossbreeding in an organized manner to produce a small number of superior queens) give the (incorrect) impression that they are adding value to the product, but avoiding objective metrics that the beekeeper could use to evaluate the actual queens sold by the producer." (Jim and I don't always agree, but I do value his contributions to discussions as riveting and challenging to defend against at times.) I don;t know Jim's current position on the subject of SMR, but I suspect that any criticism by him expressed here on this list might be softened a bit due to not wanting to disagree with the 'friends'. But I do agree here that SMR is "Superior Marketing Rationale"! And I hope speaking one's own thoughts would continue to be encouraged on this list always. Best Wishes http://www.beesource.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=search If you search: forum 'beekeeping 101' search words 'SMR' member name 'Jim Fischer' The message 'should' come up. Joe Waggle ~ Derry, PA Small Cell Beekeeping ‘Bees Gone Wild Apiaries' http://www.biologicalbeekeeping.com http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Organicbeekeepers/ __________________________________ Yahoo! FareChase: Search multiple travel sites in one click. http://farechase.yahoo.com -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l for rules, FAQ and other info ---