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:
From:
Bob Harrison <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sun, 6 Nov 2005 10:27:51 -0600
Content-Type:
text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (44 lines)
Hello James & All,

James said:
>What about absconding from varroa riddled colonies, with a dwindled
workforce?

The above is my guess and what I have seen!

Mellifera will abscond. I have seen bees abscond leaving sealed brood which
many say does not happen.

Absconding needs further research. The 92 edition of "The Hive and the Honey
Bee" (1324 pages) only refers to absconding of honey bees on a single page
(94).

Before varroa arrived varroa was only given a single page reference in the
book!

A little talked about ( and I have NEVER seen in print) reason for spread of
varroa is the absconding of workers from a heavily varroa infested hive. The
workers can see the hive is failing so instead of going back to their own
colony they return to the stand next to the varroa infested hive or the end
hive. With a load of nectar or pollen the hive lets the workers enter and
soon accepted by the hive. Certain races of bees except drifters better than
others.

My experiments with II queens and then finding workers of another race
making up a third of the workers (at times) show without a doubt drifting of
workers between hives is far more common than our beekeeping literature
would have us believe.

It is my opinion (and might cause a roar as not the opinion of most
beekeeping authors) that in most hives the guard bees do not do a very good
job of stopping worker drifters at the entrance. Certainly not the level
which bee books say!

Drifting drones is the method of varroa spread in the apiary other than
robbing they tell us! I would change the statement to drifting drones AND
WORKERS in the apiary with many hives.

Bob

-- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l for rules, FAQ and  other info ---

ATOM RSS1 RSS2