In message <[log in to unmask]>, Gavin Ramsay
<[log in to unmask]> writes
>So, if James Kilty prefers to work with local strains he has the advantage
>of starting with genetic material already adapted to local conditions and
>just has to select for traits which he wishes to bring out in that kind of
>genetic background.  The big problem is that the populations you start with
>are less likely to contain the full range of genetic variation found in the
>honeybee so you may miss something, and you don't get the hybrid vigour
>which can be found in inter-strain matings.  Of course local bees may
>already be heavily selected for something really useful due to past
>epidemics and associated heavy losses - let's speculate tracheal mite
>resistance - and exotic material may not have this.
>
>Martin Dumas liked variability.  That can be good too - increasing hybrid
>vigour and providing more genes in the genepool from which the perfect bee
>may emerge, at the expense of a degree of unpredictability.  So yes, you
>were right - both are correct!
I have left both chunks in as they are relevant. My original post
referred to conditions in Ireland and Britain (in answer to Tom's
query), which Martin and others also referred to as having good genetic
diversity. In fact, we may be advantaged to a degree in Ireland and the
harsher parts of Britain because we have the combination of a hardy race
naturalised over millennia, a number of imported races and severe
natural selection continually imposed on all of us who rely on open
mating for our requeening - that is most beekeepers around here. Our
weather pattern encourages all-weather flying capabilities so queens
mating successfully will have mated with all-weather drones (I have
never seen a non-black drone in any of my colonies). Even this good
spring doesn't show any evidence of Italian imports in the new queens'
colonies.

So, perhaps we have the best of both worlds argued above and in several
posts. The important point in my original post was regarding the
purchase of SMR selected bees from elsewhere, however excellent the work
done in developing a proven strain. It would, IMHO be a sad day if we
suddenly went over to one strain from another continent, especially when
it has been argued that there is a poor gene pool there, when we could
select out our own SMR bees from a proven good gene pool. If each region
did this with its own race, where there was a good gene pool, then we
would all progress. Our local bees are particularly well adapted to our
conditions. Normally we would expect the main honey crop from summer
honey, but summer was poor, just a few good days in late July. Spring
was excellent and many colonies were strong even though they are A.m.m.
in the most part (IMO). Unlike the typical A.m.m. they build up well in
our long early mild spring, and were well placed to capitalise on the
abundant sycamore and hawthorn. I doubt if we could readily reproduce
that in an import.

The flip side of this was the high proportion of colonies trying to
supersede in the autumn of last year which had atrocious weather -
resulting in 20% drone layers in spring! So, those particular ones were
selected out. It is usually a useful character.
--
James Kilty