Bob's SMR lingering questions:

Isis post:
>I have seen "pure" SMR lines that were so weak they couldn't build up past
three or four combs.

I have had two of these. "pure" SMR breeder queens from Glenn Apiaries.

Both were not as "weak" as above but kept small hives. Both had shotgun
brood patterns which I felt was caused by inbreeding to enhance the SMR
trait.

 Dr. Harbo ( more than once) has said an inbreeding problem was involved
with the poor brood viability of the "pure" SMR queens.



Quote from page 81 of the 92 ed. of "The Hive and the Honey Bee"
concerning what happens to diploid brood:
"diploid male brood is quickly eaten by workers (Woyke 1963,1969,1973)

We have always been told this happens early in development.

Now our researchers are giving us an explanation which is different than
what we have been told and also if happening I should have seen in the OB
hive.

http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/oct05/hive1005.htm

Under "Amazing housekeepers, yet mysterious"
quote:
"The mites'life cycle can be interrupted ,the immature mites may die of
starvation , or they may bee eaten along with the mite-infested bee larva."

Further:
"often ,two or more bees take part in this hygiene-related activity. "One
usually acts as a detector, zeroing on the sick,infested bee" Then a remover
bee comes along to CONSUME the CONTENTS of the cell"

So now we add "detector  bee" and "consumer bee" to the list of hive jobs?

If the above is indeed what is happening and the SMR line is not inbred
(contrary to what we have been told since the start) then for some reason
SMR bees are consuming both late stage pupa and *mature varroa mites*.

In my OB hive I never saw SMR bees uncapping and *eating* late stage pupa.

In my observation hive I have seen hygienic bees remove dead pupa but never
eat the same.

Our researchers use the word "mysterious". So we know now according to the
researchers that the first information told us about SMR was incorrect. I
find this new explanation hard to grasp. I think I will reserve my opinion
till the third explanation they come up with.

What does the list think? Does the SMR current explanation sound right? Have
they got it  right?

What could be the implications of bees with cannibalistic traits? At least a
bee with deformed wings can help around the hive. Do dwindling and
cannibalistic pupa removal  go hand in hand?
Is the SMR trait a dead end street?

Bob

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