PO Gustafsson wrote:
>This whole discussion looks a bit off topic to me. What is really
>killing the bees? Mites? Nope, it's virus. Mainly DWV. 
>Mites are just the vector, transporters of virus between bees. I >think 
we should look for how bees can handle the virus infection >instead.

Not quite, according to Penn State researchers. 
(I referenced in my reply some material I have saved):
 
Researchers there believe that there is a combination of factors 
triggering colony deaths which includes suppression of the bee immune 
system by the mites.  They have also found that simply having deformed 
wing virus does not cause bees to emerge from the pupa state with deformed 
wings, nor is the presence of the viruses sufficient to cause colony 
deaths.  So a breeder might conclude that trying to breed DWV resistant 
bees would be a waste of time. 

They have found that a combination of mite infestation and deformed wing 
virus will cause deformed wings in about a 25% of the emerging bees. This 
however, according to researchers is still  not sufficient to cause colony 
collapse.   The focus of the research is centered on the chemical glucose 
oxidase or ‘GOX’  that is put into the honey by worker bees and sterilizes 
the honey and the colonies food.  They have found that if bees have mites, 
their production of GOX decreases.   They suspect as mites build up, not 
as much GOX will be found in the honey and the honey has more bacteria.  
They go on to say it is likely that the combination of 1) increased mite 
infestation, 2) virus infection and 3) bacteria that is the cause of the 
two-week death collapse of hives.  A breeder could conclude from this ‘if 
you solve the mite problem, this increases nutritional foraging and GOX 
production, and you will solve the DWV problem‘.


But is there anyone that can honestly
>say they can breed for higher honey production without loosing the
>bees ability to handle mite infection?  

Presently doing just that!  I have managed thru intense selection to get 
98% brood viability and still the colonies have a natural ability to keep 
varroa populations at very small numbers.  This season fall I managed a 
harvest in spite of reports of a relatively bad fall flow from other 
nearby beekeepers.   

Joe Waggle 
Ecologicalbeekeeping.com 
‘Bees Gone Wild Apiaries' 
Feral Bee Project:
 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FeralBeeProject/ 

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