>My hives at the end of the 3rd season amounted to a single deep full of
bees.  I had to use OA or they would not make it to the next season.

I understand completely.

One of my first feral survivor colonies came out of a horse barn. Even
though done years ago I still have all the pictures. The colony was said to
have survived at least five years by the owner.

I carefully removed the small colony and placed the four frames of brood in
frames held by rubber bands. I placed the colony outside my back door. I
monitored varroa loads. The colony never much grew in size, always had a
varroa load, no tracheal mite problems, NO PMS OR DEFORMED WINGS , but never
could gather enough honey to survive a winter.

The first fall I had to add frames of honey for the colony to survive the
winter. I called the hive my *pet hive*. I always kept the entrance reduced.

One year they needed a second box but never filled it so I reduced the
colony back into a single  for winter.

One year they swarmed a very small swarm and I recovered the original marked
queen and placed next to the old hive which requeened.

Sad ending:

Two years ago I had over a hundred Italian hives on the hill and they robbed
both hives out despite the reduced entrance.
The Italian bees had been up all day trying to rob at the building. I saw
what was happening and tried to intervene but to no avail.
Most of the bees were dead from the small hives and I found both marked
queens dead!

Keith & Scot would say not to breed from the colony because the hive could
not gather enough honey for a hard Missouri winter.

Their small colony size was the problem. The queen was black and not
prolific. I saw a hive which could tolerate varroa without PMS & deformed
wings. I looked at those bees like my 12 year Yugo survivors. Possibly a
good choice for a hybrid. Maybe not.
Now I will never know. Procrastination cost me!


>>...I would add two full frames of drone comb and leave all next season.
Most likely all will crash...

>I believe mine would crush with so much drone comb.

The added varroa pressure is a test! Nothing more!

A race car at idle proves nothing! Will the car hold together at 200 MPH for
500 miles is the question.

I would not switch my operation over to a line of bees with claimed varroa
tolerance without doing the test.

>  But looking for the holy grail is fun... and educational.

Hard work if done correctly.

>Are you at the point with any of your bees where they survive with this
kind of varroa pressure from season to season?

I don't keep the above type of varroa pressure on all varroa tolerant hives.
Only those hives I want to use in a breeding program.

To use the race car example again. If the car can handle 200 mph for 500
miles then the principles used in the car should make a car which should go
200,000 miles with everyday  driving. The main reason car manufacturers
invest in auto racing.

>Sounds like it would be best to attack the virus instead of the mite.

The answer here is both simple and complicated at the same time.

simple:
Keep varroa control above 90% and almost no PMS.

complicated:
controlling the virus outbreak after it gets started.

example:
Simple:
Wash hands before eating and hopefully prevent the flu virus problem.

complicated:
trying to control the flu virus after infecting yourself!

The best control for PMS I have found is to install a varroa tolerant queen
and in 50% of the cases (last time I did testing 2 years ago)the PMS will
disappear in a few weeks.

Not sure exactly why.

Sincerely,
Bob Harrison

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