Hi all

Keith Benson wrote:
> The fastest way to select for these queens is to not
treat......you will likely acheive your goal that much
faster.

Allen Dick replied:
Maybe, but not necessarily.

The problem I see with that approach is that, if one of the

mechanisms being sought is resistance to varroa developing
in the brood, and it should be, the colonies exhibiting
that trait could easily be swamped by incoming mites from
colonies that did not exhibit the trait -- unless mite
reproduction in all colonies is restrained somehow and by
more or less the same amount in all colonies under test.

Reply:
In the real world this is exactly what happens. . .If you
then setup an artificial environment, restraining mite
reproduction, all you do is extend the problem and never
solve it! At least within the time frame necessary to keep
a worldwide industry from collasping i.e. especially here
in the USA as chemicals are quickly topping out and few
replacements, that will last for how long?? and at what
cost to beekeepers?

Nature plays no second best in real life. To have survivor
stock, shouldn't science parallel the real world and not an
artificial one?

After all, sooner or later a beekeeper will want to move
the colonies out of the artificial bubble and face the real
world envoronment? Is not this the final test to see if
solution really works?

Allen Dick then wrote:
Moderate use of a miticide can keep levels to the point
where they won't kill the hives or cause a collapse that
would distribute mites to colonies that would otherwise
have low levels.

Reply:
But this is not proper, for all it does is put evolution in
a state of "permanent holding pattern" with no forward
motion, and no way to right the situation.

Can beekeepers live in a holding pattern with their bees
the rest of their lives confronting mites and secondary
diseases, plus what ever additional scavengers crop up, for
indeed they will, with the state of economic requirements
for various treatments never ending? in fact only
increasing in intensity? I myself don't think so!

Allen Dick then wrote:
Dee has some interesting ideas on selecting the hives that
are most resistant.  She says that it is not necessarily
the hives with the lowest natural mite drops that are the
most resistant and explains why.

Reply:
This is true, I have said this. It is the hives with the
highest mite drops that are the most resistant, with
highest drops of mites on the downswings of honey cycles,
throughout the active beekeeping year.

Perpetuating colonies with the lowest mite drops, without
taking other factors into consideration is certainly not a
good way to find high survivorship traits.

Allen then stated:
This has to do with the resistant hives doing housecleaning
on the mites every so often.  At those times, they will
have higher drops, in spite of actually having fewer mites.

Reply:
This is so true, and when the waves of mites go through the
area on the downswings, this is when it is really seen in
the fall and early spring.

This needs to be talked about more by industry and shown to
others. How to show the mites taking care of the problem
naturally. What to look for. This is what I tried to show
Allen and his friend Joe when they were here.

Unfortunately, there was no flow on, it was January. I
could only show them sporatic mites being chewed out! No
mite waves passing thru, no drone brood being cared for and
cleaned.

Chow:

Dee A. Lusby






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