Keith Malone wrote:
> Hi Bill & All,
>
>> My experience was you can do it for a while (even doing everything
>> right) and get away with it, but in the long run, it is better to
>> purchase queens and break the cycle.

> What cycle are you speaking of Bill?

The cycle is caused by problems other than varroa. Most books talk about
problems with home grown bees. I did not believe them since I did not
have the problems. But I did. Eventually, you have to bring in proven
stock and that is the end of the cycle unless you start it again.

If you raise your own in an area where there are many beekeepers you
will end up not with the best bees, since you are inbreeding with the
"chemical dependent" bee that you are trying to breed out.

If you raise your own in an area with few beekeepers, you are
perpetuating the problems of your own stock, even though they overwinter
better and seem to be more tolerant of Varroa.

Varroa resistance is not the be-all and end-all of beekeeping. We still
have a multitude of problems that can bring down our colonies or result
in characteristics that are not desired.

There are plenty of good queen breeders who are doing just what we want
and have to do so or they go out of business. They are not producing
queens that are in any way inferior to our home grown. They are not
producing "chemical dependent" queens any more than home grown are
chemical free.

My home grown bees did really well for several seasons, but in time they
began to show problems. I requeened and they are doing much better.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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