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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Subject:
From:
"J. Waggle" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sun, 27 May 2007 23:18:52 -0400
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>Refering to the June 2007 ABJ article on page 489 by Dr. Wyatt Mangum he 
describes how he has a
>couple of dozen colonies which have had no varroa treatments for 4 years. 
,,,The bees are feral stock

Nice to see the researchers finally looking at the feral bees!
Ferals certainly are recovering quickly in my area.  Perhaps supporting my 
prediction made several years earlier that ferals would be ahead of the 
bee breeders in the recovery process.  I have bee collecting and assessing 
ferals for almost 10 years, and have colonies derived from feral stock 
thriving for 7 years without treatments, so I’m 3 up on the good Dr. ;)  

>Additionally we have David Murrels insight into using small cell comb in 
the center brood nest which
>he reports allows his bees to co-exist with varorra mites.

Coexisting is nice.  But a simple co-existence is not where I am setting 
my goals. From what I am seeing with the ferals in my area, it’s the  
traits that accompany the smaller cell sizes that seem to be enabling the 
ferals here to not only coexist, BUT go beyond that and thrive.  
From my observations, small cell won’t make good bees out of bad stock,  
you need to be selective. 
 
Best Wishes,
Joe
Feralbeeproject.com

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