>1. What is the goal of incorporating Australian genetics into Dann Purvis
population?

Brood viability & hybrid vigor for a start.

>Since Australia does not have varroa, I assume the main
contribution from the down-under genetics would be in productivity?

The Australian line has many good qualities but strong colonies can be testy
I have been told but have not seen in my Australian bees. I see prolific and
honey production high points and very similar to my U.S. lines of bees.

The commercial migratory beekeeper running 6000 super strong Australian said
they can be testy. He used the example that an employee found out the
Australian bees did not like the smell of Icy Hot. He said he runs a six man
crew daily and this time of year seven days a week. Muscles get sore so an
employee used Icy Hot. The bees kept trying to sting the spot where the Icy
Hot was so the employee had to go and wash the Icy Hot off. Bees do react to
different smells but I have never heard of bees finding the smell of Icy Hot
or Ben gay a reason to sting.

2. You mentioned Australia had imported varroa-resistant genetics from
Italy.

The import was from a lady queen breeder named Francine I was told. She has
been working with varroa tolerant stock for two decades.

The above import went through the strict import station and the queen/
workers and hive were destroyed after larva were grafted while the hive was
in the compound which bees can not escape from. $4000- $5000 is paid for
each queen. If the queen is killed during introduction the fee is still
charged.

>Since there is no varroa in Australia, I'd think it's hard for the
Australians to test mite resistance of their crosses 'over there.'

Testing was done in the U.S.. Unlike all other U.S. varroa testing the
testing was done with adding varroa to levels over threshold trying to kill
off all but the lone survivor. If I remember correct only one queen/hive
survived and became part of the varroa tolerant project out of around 30
plus hives.

> You mentioned I think that your Australian have gone for one year w/o
treatments - or has it been longer?

I am not running varroa tolerant experiments now but ran many over a four
year period. Dann Purvis is testing the Australian lines now. By adding
varroa load and frames of varroa infested brood he hopes to kill off at
least 50% of his hives each year! Each year its getting harder to do as the
lines are becoming very varroa tolerant.

 >Don't we have bees in the US that already do that?

Depends. Most commercial lines now need treating at least once a year. Not
as varroa tolerant as they were even a decade ago. Most back then would need
treatment fall of the second year.

I do not understand the
change unless  with chemicals (illegal getting stronger) we have
breeding a super varroa mite! That's what happens on the chemical treadmill.
Bees do not have a chance to become varroa tolerant and the varroa breed
mites tolerant to most chemicals. As with the cockroach pest control people
usually have to use a concoction of up to four different chemicals to
control a serious infestation ( told to me by several pest control friends).
If all control chemicals cease to work by themselves I expect concoctions
will be used by beekeepers.
Dann Purvis suggests that if a varroa tolerant bee needs treated to use
Apiguard because the way apiguard kills does not create a tougher varroa.
Hey! Even the Russian bee will need a treatment now and then.
Dann Purvis is a queen breeder looking for breeder queens which is why he
uses the methods he does. If you run a Russian or a varroa tolerant bee and
the hive needs treating to keep from crashing I suggest treating with a soft
treatment. Kirk Webster suggests shaking the bees on the ground in cold
weather and taking the equipment. Especially when PMS signs are present.

I worked my Russian yard today and with nothing blooming they were as nasty
as ever! They are varroa tolerant but lack many of the traits I like to see
in my bees.


3. Why doesn't USDA import semen and eggs directly from Italy?

 Eggs could be problematic but semen could be imported as long as the person
on the receiving end could do insemination.
Illegal movement of semen has been going on for years as semen is viable for
a long time in tubes without a lot of care. Warwick Kerr was the first to
ship
semen. semen is easy to gather and easy to ship.

The problem with shipping semen is only a very very small part of beekeepers
can do instrumental insemination. Picture of Bob Harrison doing insemination
in the January 2004 Bee Culture article I did on my Russian bees.

bob


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