A friend and I were talking about Varroa and wondered, if when varroa feed on fat bodies if it permanently reduces the amount of royal jelly and wax young bees can produce.
The thought was that bees are born with lots of fat stores, which they use to feed royal jelly and make wax. The question was, when those stores are depleted they do they mature and become foragers?
Maybe the test would be to take bees with varroa and see if they produce less royal jelly and wax, and if they become foragers sooner than bees without varroa. Give me your opinions and the facts, please.
Kathy Cox
MASTER BEEKEEPER
Seattle Honey Bees on Facebook
Facebook.com/seattlehoneybees
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