BEE-L Archives

Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

BEE-L@COMMUNITY.LSOFT.COM
Options: Use Monospaced Font
Show Text Part by Default
Show All Mail Headers

Message: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Topic: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Author: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]

Print Reply
Subject:
Re: How Much VSH to Reduce Mite Count?
From:
"Jeffrey W. Harris" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 29 Nov 2012 11:15:13 -0600
Content-Type:
text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (50 lines) 
Hello,

When purebred VSH queens mate with drones that have no VSH genes, the
worker population will express about 50% of the VSH phenotype.  We have
know that these outcrossed queens produce colonies that can significantly
slow the growth of varroa mite populations in many areas of the mainland
U.S.  The effort in Hawaii shows that this level of expression is not
enough to slow the growth of mite populations in that environment.  We
suspect that the long brood production periods and the intense drone
production needed for producing tens of thousands of queens are the primary
factors that make it harder for resistant stocks to keep mite growth down.
 Of course, it may be that mites are somehow more virulent in the early
phases of introduction into a new area.  We really don't know.  So, the
main point is that 50% VSH colonies can significantly slow mite growth in
many places, but there are beekeeping environments that are more
challenging, and 50% VSH is not enough in those areas.  There is a current
effort to breed VSH up to levels that might help control varroa mites in
Hawaii.

Jeff Harris

On Thu, Nov 29, 2012 at 10:31 AM, randy oliver <[log in to unmask]>wrote:

> >If a daughter from a pure VSH mother mates with drone with zero VSH is the
> colony back to ground zero on mite control?
>
> Keep in mind that virgin queens mate with more than one drone.
>
> --
> Randy Oliver
> Grass Valley, CA
> www.ScientificBeekeeping.com
>
>              ***********************************************
> The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
> LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
> http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html
>
> Guidelines for posting to BEE-L can be found at:
> http://honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm
>

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html

Guidelines for posting to BEE-L can be found at:
http://honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm

ATOM RSS1 RSS2