Bob Harrison <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>> To help bees, we too should do absolutely nothing.

…. Yoon is the first I have seen present the above viewpoint in many years.
>I guess we will have to
>"agree to disagree"

Hello Bob,

I interpret the statement to mean do nothing in the areas of propping them 
up with treatments and stimulants.  ‘Good old fashioned breeding from your 
best stock’ as yourself and other breeders do I would think still applies 
here.  I like the statement as Yoon may have intended it to be 
understood.   

,,,I have taken many ferals from
>buildings trying to find a survivor and in the end they all succumbed to
>mites
>when left alone over a time span. 

I have experienced this also, and it can be very discouraging.  
BUT I have found that ferals are not created equal.  I have discovered 
that I need to assess the ferals and weed out on average 50% of the 
duds 'OR more' depending on remoteness of acquired ferals.  THEN, get 
these 'selected best stock ferals' out into a separate apiary and away 
from the mite pressure from other domestic colonies ASAP.  I have managed 
to establish a self-sustaining apiary of ferals by doing this.

I believe Seeleys study of ferals in the Arnot Forrest illustrates that if 
you can get you best stock of honeybees off into a separate area AWAY from 
colonies with poor resistance, they will do much better with mite 
resistance at the colony level.   

Conversely,  I attempted to establish self-sustaining colonies in another 
apiary where I assess newly acquired feral stock, by bringing in a 
daughter colony from my most preferred stock.  Much the same as Seeley 
discovered, this colony seemed to loose its resistance and succumb to 
mites in 2 years.  

Best Wishes,

Joe Waggle ~ Derry, PA 
‘Bees Gone Wild Apiaries' 
FeralBeeProject.com 

******************************************************
* Full guidelines for BEE-L posting are at:          *
* http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm  *
******************************************************