>> I had told her often that they are called "Kenyan" and not "Maine" TBH for a reason so I did not give them much of a chance.. My understanding is that the T.B. hive was designed so that it could be made cheaply, for the poor in third world countries. Not because the design was suitable for any particular climate. >>They survived the winter and are in excellent shape. All her other colonies died at her new home. My dilemma is she is a "natural" beekeeper who does not treat but says that bees are naturally resistant to Varroa when they build their own comb. Me personally, I do not buy the 'natural comb resistance thing.' My personal belief is that the rate of survival is based on the rate of stresses. Natural comb in a TBH, allowing for smooth transition across combs may be one stress reducer in itself. I still need to check with other beekeepers in my area, but the neighbor nearest to me is reporting 4 out of 4 survival, without any treatments or varroa checking, and while poorly tending his colonies. I do not know why colonies in my area are not succumbing to varroa, they just do not have a problem with it, and I find it fascinating that varroa is such a problem else ware. Its been now nearly 30 years with varroa and no sustainable resistance? PS. I am building TBH's this Spring. not because of the natural comb resistance thingy, but because those wanting bees from me are demanding TBH hives, thats where the money is nowadays. Best Wishes, Joe Waggle 'Historical Honeybee Articles' on FB *********************************************** The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html