Dee A. Lusby
22 April 2000
Lusby Apiaries DBA:
Arizona Rangeland Honey
3832 East Golf Links Road
Tucson, Arizona 85713
Phone/Fax: 1-520-748-0542
Email: deelusbybeekeeper@mail excel.com
.
Subject: Reference your email Sat, 22 April 2000, 16:36:03 +1200
.             New Zealand Varroa
.
To: Ron Law <[log in to unmask]>
.
Reference your email where you state you have been asked by the NZ Ministry
of Agriculture and NZ Beekeepers Association to undertake an economic impact
report into the impact that varroa mites might have on bee pollen, royal
jelly, propolis and bee venom production.
.
You have asked me “From your experience and/or knowledge, could you please
send me any information that you have regarding this. I’ve been asked to do
a 1, 2, 5, 10, and 20 year analysis.”
.
Response time required: Information to be collated within the next three
days. Estimated date to respond therefore  NLT 25 April 2000 if not sooner.
.
RESPONSE:
.
Having been through both Trachael Mites and Varroa Mites and come back, the
following is forwarded:
.
Trachael Mites: Was then in the process of retrogressing our hives down from
5.44mm foundation sizing to 5.0mm - 5.1mm range. Period was: 1986 forward.
Crash occurred 1988-89, climb back began with stabalization in 1990 and by
1993 numbers were back to near normal at approximately 900+ colonies.  Began
with 1,000 -1,100 colonies. Bottomed out at approx 395-400 colonies.
.
Varroa Mites: Was still adding 5.0mm - 5.1mm foundation when downswing
started again, slowly at first, then gaining speed from about 1994 forward.
This time began with approximately 900+ colonies. 1993 was a good wet year.
In 1995 La Nina started to take effect adding much stress. In the fall of
1996 we had to make a choice after carrying water to colony locations for 2
1/2 years and dropping down in numbers to a little over 400 colonies. We
decided no matter how bad the environment was, the bees had always survived
before, therefore we decided to fine tune our hives further to match the
environment. The lack of water and little natural forage helped to bring on
much secondary disease even though we used no chemicals, drugs and
antibiotics.  (Dropped even use of PDB for honey super storage around 1995).
.
Decision was made to retrogress down again further to 4.9mm foundation
beginning the spring of 1997. Hives were living with varroa, but production
was now practically zero on all hive products; and high stress of carrying
water and limited forage with La Nina was bringing on high levels of
secondary diseases, namely chaulk, AFB, EFB and para-foulbrood. Disection of
mummies in cells of dead worker bees showed mummies with varroa attached
when pulled out with tweezers. Shook down hives old style, like AFB
shakedown, in May of 1997 with a limited honey flow, on new un-drawn
foundation. By August approx 250 colonies remained. Sampling was done for
Varroa level by Tucson Bee Lab in September 1997 and results were pulished
in ABJ in a Letter to Editor December 1997 after only five months of being
on 4.9mm comb. (Suggested reading, no subsequent testing has been done,
though requested.)
.
In the spring of 1998 we bottomed out at approximately 104 colonies having
survived the shakedown and the  winter. All colonies surviving  were on 2-4
frames of drawnout 4.9mm foundation, with feeder packs sustaining them
through the winter, with a policy to either kill or cure to get down to
straight survivership only and cut out the weak genetics. We have now
climbed back steadily ever since in numbers.              .
Only tradition beekeeping methods have been employed with no use of drugs,
essential oils, or chemical treatments. With the shakedown, we stopped the
use of propolis patties we were using in place of TM. Secondary diseases
cleared up for the most part, so now we can look at an average of 300+
colonies and maybe find only a few frames to pull of any disease, to fill
maybe one deep super if we are unlucky.               .
Colony number are now back up to between 450-500 colonies and at the rate we
are drawing out foundation, hope to be well over 600+ colonies this year.
The comeback has been slower than expected with both mites in the area as we
felt we should have reached this goal a year ago. To augment, all available
feral swarms are located and are absorbed into our outfit, to help give us
the widest dispersal of genetic material available to work with.
.
We have gone for straight survivalability, then building of variability,
while increasing colony numbers without the use of drugs, chemicals or
essential oils. Now between 450-500colonies, we have achieved basic colony
numbers in three major geographic local areas of Southern Arizona. This fall
of 2000 we will finally start breeding again for selection for desired
characteristics we wish to fine tune to add to survivalability.         .
Our colonies are now finishing drawing out the fourth deep super and in some
cases the fifth. We expect to be back to extracting honey sometime in May
2000 and make our first decent crop with black ink  since 1995. We have not
trapped pollen also since the Varroa hit. Do not know if we will now resume
trapping pollen or start making nucs for others next year. Many have been
calling us to see if we will sell brood nest conversion packages of 3-4
frame nucs, with extra 4.9mm foundation, to complete a 1-2 box brood nest.
That decision still has to be made.
.
Some limited statistics I can give you on production are:
.
Pollen                                                  Honey
===============================================================       1991
first yr trapping  1080 lbs                   1990
........................... 34 barrels (55gal)
1992  ........................  7946 lbs                   1991
...........................53  barrels (  “    )
1993  ........................10744 lbs                   1992
............................98 barrels (  “    )
1994  ........................  9191 lbs                   1993
............................96 barrels  ( “    )
1995  ........................  4229 lbs                   1994
............................61 barrels  ( “    )
Pulled off traps fall of 1995 and put           1995
............................47 barrels  ( “    )
into storage.Could see stress too                 1996
............................5.5 barrels ( “    )
hard on bees with La Nina and bees           1997
.............................3.5 barrels ( “)
needed pollen more than us to live.             1998
.............................11 barrels  ( “   )
.                                                                   1999
.............................15 barrels  ( “   )        .
We have with the help of BEE-L incouragement,and a Mr Barry Birkey, who has
a great web site and given much support, posted our beekeeping theory and
actions for biological beekeeping on the internet for all to read. We are
standing on full biolgical methods using naturally sized foundation to fit
ones own region without the use of chemicals, drugs, and essential oils.
.
We believe that what we have been through shows that breeding alone is not
the solution. We figure comb matching natural environment is 1/3, diet is
1/3 due to stress induced without ample, and breeding is 1/3.
.
For those beekeepers in New Zealand wishing to read the full biological
theory and what it requires go to Mr Barry Birkey’s web site at:
www.beesource.com and pull up Lusby under Point of View.
.
As a final note. Suggest survey of colonies in New Zealand to see what size
manufacturered foundation is in use. Anything larger than 4.9mm I do not
feel you will survive on without much difficulty and treatment.   Survey of
climate and latitude and altitude zones for New Zealand would show to us
that probably 4.8 - 5.0 is your comb size range, but only you can tell by
accurate measurement of your feral population to see what they want to
naturally build and survive on.                                    .
.Respectfully Submitted:
Dee A. Lusby