> In France, untreated and feral colonies of honey bees largely disappeared a few years after the arrival of Varroa in 1982. Varroa resistant strains of bees are of great interest for beekeeping to reduce the use of chemicals in honey bee colonies. One way to obtain resistant bees is to intensively select for single characters that decrease the growth of Varroa populations. This approach might force adaptations by the mite, limiting the genetic progress obtained by the breeder. Another possibility is to monitor natural selection in unmanaged populations. An advantage of natural selection is that it selects for a host-parasite equilibrium that may be more sustainable than human selection for a single characteristic.

> Our results clearly show that some honey bee colonies can survive without protection from Varroa for longer than 1 or 2 years, as previously reported (Robaux, 1986). The 12 colonies observed in the first group of colonies survived on average at least 9.8 years, and 5 of them survived more than 11 years. During the last nine-year experiment on the second group of colonies, the mortality in the VSB [Varroa surviving bee] colonies was slightly more but not significantly different from the treated colonies. Annual colony mortality between 5 and 10 percent is considered acceptable by beekeepers in France.

FROM:
Honey bee colonies that have survived Varroa destructor
Yves Le Conte, et al
Apidologie 38 (2007) 566-572

-- 
Peter L. Borst
Danby, NY USA
42.35, -76.50
http://picasaweb.google.com/peterlborst

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