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First: I'm talking about the general tendency, the general situation. So: under what circumstances might treated bees develop resistance, and how would that work, what can you say about the mechanisms (in each circumstance)?

You (MB, continuing) I suspect that a lack of understanding of the processes of natural selection, and the complexity of the bee's population dynamics, together with the normalisation of treating, driven by advice from government bodies, the marketing of chemical solutions, and the tenacity of...

You (me): How can the breeding methods of traditional husbandry be used to raise strains of varroa-resistant bees? ChatGPT Given your interests in bee breeding and ecology, it's fascinating that you're looking into varroa-resistant bee strains. Traditional husbandry methods can indeed be...

I asked ChatGPT: "What does cedar naturally repel?" It replied: "Cedar is known for its natural repellent properties against a variety of pests and insects. Specifically, cedarwood and cedar oil are known to repel moths, fleas, ticks, and certain types of ants. This is why cedar is commonly...

I had a tower-of-nuc bait 'tree' this year. Two of three filled, but though there was interest the top one remained vacant. I put a leylandi branch on top, hanging to shade the hive, and voila!

It is often reported that bees prefer older, used boxes, and that applying beeswax, smearing propolis, putting in used comb, and especially good quality pheromone all improve the attraction for bait hives. New bare pine has none of these attributes, and bees may not recognise a good home even...

You could consider putting it on another thread? It's wandered from the topic.

I will always recommend frame hives that can be checked for problems, and in which frames can be rotated out. In the wild colonies usually survive for just 6 or 7 years, then the nest comb cell walls have become too thick to use, and it's time to let wax moth, mice other beasties clear the space...

I think here in the UK, it is easily the best chance Rolande. Not necessarily in this order, these are the reasons why I think that: 1) a whole colony, its queen, bees and its varroa, is a much better treatment-free proposition than a queen alone. It will come equipped with the low-fecundity...

Call me cynical but I suspect the NBU listens too much to 'stakeholders' who make too much money selling treatments and nucs. Beginners in a thriving wild bee population are unlikely to suffer greater losses or experience disease by using wild stock. (If they buy nucs or requeen with bought...

I'm not sure many people will have that impression! But ok, and lets open it out a bit. Prior to the arrival of varroa in the early 1990's we lived in a happy world in which bees thrived in apiaries, and in the areas surrounding them, and in unpopulated areas equally. Unless you were a...

I agree, the ones that can thrive alone belong far far more than anything that needs beekeeper help. I sometimes wonder at my own practices. I like casts (nice new queens), and help them along - especially late ones. I'm aware that this is genetic interference. In nature the rate of success...

Nope. I don't think there is any recovery from presuming treatment free to be the same thing in the pre and post varroa introduction worlds.

I imagine you are responding to my post here? Feral bees and bait hives I'm sorry that doesn't scan for me. By 'lumped with' do you mean 'saddled with' or 'lumbered with' or something like that? If so: That's not my experience. Nor is is consistent with evolutionary understanding...

I can't quite believe you just said that.

Its certainly forgotten by me. This is all off-topic - this thread is for discussion of the capture and early handling of swarms that may be feral thrivers. However: Your bees wouldn't be in that position if they hadn't been treated earlier in the year, or last year, or at any point in their...

Your feral population is plentiful?! Despite no-one treating them?! They monopolise the forage! Erm, wild honeybees have always been among the local ecology's more populous pollinators. That means more seeds. That means more... you can work it out from there I'm sure. Perpetuation of...

Golly, look at all the usual suspects who have never kept bees treatment free piling in! Its like a naysayer's convention all of a sudden! I make a living from free bees, and have never treated or otherwise fiddled with anything. As testified sporadically I'm far from alone in this. Most of...

'Ideal' yes. But we can settle for slightly less than ideal. There are, now, thriving [1] feral colonies almost everywhere in my view. And few places have an overwhelming number of commercial hives, and many hobbyists are not treating and aiding the outnumbering of commercially-raised bees...

It's a given that the best chance of successful treatment free beekeeping is to obtain free-living genes. The quick route lies in catching, collecting, or extracting a few nice colonies of thriver-survivor bees. And the best route to that happy position is to put out plenty of ideal homes, in...