> Beekeepers have a long-established practice of using
> smoke to calm their
> bees before opening the hive. Now U.S. Department of
> Agriculture scientists
> have found another potential benefit from smoke:
> Some plants, when burned,
> give off natural chemicals that control honey bee
> mites.

Theoretically now, besides making the identification
and selection of varroa resistant stock more difficult
for the beekeeper as treatments are known to do.  The
practice of smoking for varroa control ‘may’ in my
opinion,  result in the inadvertent selection of
aggressive bees over mild bees which would get the
lesser dose of treatment and possibly perish at a
greater rate.  But on the other side of the coin, less
dosage in the calmer colonies would necessitate that
the responsibility of varroa suppression rely more
heavily  on the traits of the bee, and subsequently an
easier process of selecting resistant stock from among
the gentile colonies.  Just a thought.
Catch 22?

Joe Waggle ~ Derry, PA
‘Bees Gone Wild Apiaries'
My Site:           http://www.biologicalbeekeeping.com
Organic Bee Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Organicbeekeepers/
Feral Bee Project: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FeralBeeProject/



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