Some time back, Danny Weaver wrote:

> We've been selecting for Varroa
> resistance for more than 10 years. We have not employed chemical
> treatments for Varroa for more than 3 years. Many of our colonies
> have survived much longer without chemical treatment. And despite no
> chemical treatment for Varroa, our colonies are strong enough for us
> to harvest bees for stocking queen rearing nuclei in February and
> March, and strong enough to be shaken again in March and April for
> packages too.  After that, our colonies produce a honey crop in Texas
> or on the Northern Plains, and some colonies produce a honey crop in
> both places.

The full text is at
http://listserv.albany.edu:8080/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0410e&L=bee-l&F=&S=&P=1806

After that, nothing concrete.

These are very interesting claims, on a par with Lusbys' experience, but
AFAIK, without any change of comb or difficult and expensive changes.

I recall that back in 1999, at Apimondia in Vancouver, Danny was commenting
in a talk he gave, that he had had a few drone colonies that were about to
crater with varroa, and had requeened with one of his strains.  The colonies
had subsequently overcome varroa and recovered without other treatment.  I
found that remarkable and have mentioned it to others, but no one has had a
comment.  He did not say that they eliminated varroa, just that they did
very well, even after coming very near death.

My friends who have several Weaver stocks say that they do carry some
detectible varroa, and also that they are pretty hot.  They have not had
them long enough to say whether it will survive long-term untreated in their
Northern locale without succumbing to mites.

Has anyone on this llist had any experience with Weavers' queens in this
regard?  Has anyone been down there to take a look?  I should think that, in
light of the huge losses that many are suffering, this bears some scrutiny.

allen
A Beekeeper's Diary: http://www.honeybeeworld.com/diary/

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