Breeding for mite tolerance

[Fusion_power]

If you were given the choice of mite resistant bees that are also excellent egg layers, would that not be the better choice? I'm going to interpret a bit by guessing you are using some type of Italian bees. They are the only race that goes through winter with huge colonies. Buckfast winters small, Carniolan winters small, Caucasian is not adapted to your climate, and most of the black bees winter in very small clusters.

If I loose some hive, it belongs to this job.

We would say, "If I lose a few hives, it goes with the territory".

 

[Finman]

If you were given the choice of mite resistant bees that are also excellent egg layers, would that not be the better choice? I'm going to interpret a bit by guessing you are using some type of Italian bees. They are the only race that goes through winter with huge colonies. Buckfast winters small, Carniolan winters small, Caucasian is not adapted to your climate, and most of the black bees winter in very ".

I have had all those bees.

I had Caucasians 45 years ago. Origin was Canada. The colonies were huge.

I had Carniolan bees 10 years. Their colonies were as big as Italian colonies. They were bad swarmers and they had swarming fever when they should lay foragers for main yield.

I had Black Bees during years 1963-1990 because they mated with my Caucasian and Italian virgins. No one breed Black Bees, and they were unselected Rubbish. Then mite killed them all in 5 years.

Now I have problem that there are wild Carniolan bee nests in empty farm houses here and there, and their hybrids make my Italian stock swarmy. But the hybrids are the biggest and most profitable in my yards.

I had Elgon bees 10 years. It is mite resistant, but crossings with Italians made them mad. Monticola genes make them such. But they were not mite resistant.

Italian strains are many. I have had at least 10 different Italian stocks. Their ability to resist diseases are different (nosema, chalk brood, ability to forage, calmnes)

One Italian stock here is very calm, but it has been inbreeded so, that it needs only 2 langstroth boxes. It is breeded by a professional beekeeper.

Then various kind of Buckfasts.

All races can have good layers, but you must select them all the time.

In my climate big hives over winter best and they are early foragers. Professionals want to over winter one box hives. They control amount of laying with excluder, but they keep double brood on first half of summer.

Many use Carniolan bees here. It store pollen over winter, and so it has early build up. When I started to feed Italian bees 25 years ago with pollen, I noticed that speed of Italian build up was exactly the same as with Carniolans. Italian bee rears winter bees as long as it has pollen in the hive. That is why it does not have pollen stores over winter.
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[For want of a better word]

If you were given the choice of mite resistant bees that are also excellent egg layers, would that not be the better choice? I'm going to interpret a bit by guessing you are using some type of Italian bees. They are the only race that goes through winter with huge colonies. Buckfast winters small, Carniolan winters small, Caucasian is not adapted to your climate, and most of the black bees winter in very small clusters.


We would say, "If I lose a few hives, it goes with the territory".

Churchill would have said "Expect casualties"!!

​

Yeghes da

 

[Finman]

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When Fusion talks about wintering, we are on different planets. Not much experiences to share.

Just now Hamilton has day temp +10C, and night -3C. We have such temps at the beginning of May.

At that time in May my place's sun angle is 46 degrees.
Now highest sun angle is in Helsinki 16 degrees. It is same as London UK has in lowest point.

Essential is, that bees cannot come out for cleansing flight during during 4-5 months.
.they fly out to die, but cannot return to hive.

Second essential is that if hive have brood in October, they are not alive in December.

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[Fusion_power]

Same planet Finman, just different climates. When you are enjoying 25 degrees in mid summer, I am sweltering at 43. You might like your sauna at those temps, but I don't think you would like to work bees. If you come visit this July, we can find out if a finman can melt. Maybe I should come to visit you and find out if an American turns into a block of ice.

Good beekeepers are neither made nor unmade by the climate they live in. Good beekeepers are defined by the ability to keep their bees alive and producing when challenged by things like diseases, pests, and weather. Maybe you are good at keeping bees alive in cold weather. I am good at keeping bees alive in very hot weather. I am also good at keeping bees alive when challenged by varroa mites. You keep yours alive with chemicals. I keep mine alive by breeding mite tolerant bees.

 

[Finman]

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Mite is only a small factor in beekeeping.
Honeybee has 32 different diseases and pests.
Varroa is easier to nurse than Black Bee.

Nothing wrong in chemicals. Look at your bathroom what you wife has in there.
I have studied so much chemistry in university, that I know what I am doinng.

 

[Finman]

Same planet ... I keep mine alive by breeding mite tolerant bees.

That is ridiculous that somebody gets his purpose of life from mites.
That is not possible.

How did you motivated yourself when you did not have mites?
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But I accept that mite has made you better as Human Being.
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[Fusion_power]

How did you motivated yourself when you did not have mites?

Like most Americans, I do it with pure dog cussed meanness.

I started keeping bees when I was 10 years old. By the time I was 16, I was cutting colonies out of trees, catching swarms, and had built up to about a dozen colonies. I grew up poor, but I knew how to work so I worked on local farms to earn enough money to buy lumber and I bought a table saw and started making equipment. I was introduced to an interesting guy named Glenn Fowler who was the president of American Bee Breeders Association in the 1960's. Glenn showed me how to raise queens and how to manipulate bees with just enough smoke to keep them calm.

So what makes you get up in the morning Finman, what keeps you motivated? I've read your side slanted snide comments but you have not yet shown one bit of proof that you are actually a beekeeper. Where are the pictures of your colonies? Are you afraid someone will figure out that you talk a good game but don't know how to play? If you are going to hunt with the big dogs, get off the porch!

 

[Finman]

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A proof, that I am a beekeeper?. It may be that I have never seen a bee.
Perhaps I do not even exist. ... Jenkins is sure that I am an elf.

 

[Finman]

So what makes you get up in the morning Finman, !

Mostly pressure of pee.

 

[Juhani Lundén]

There are some polite people in Finland too, believe it or not.

 

[Norton]

Mostly pressure of pee.

At least he is honest.

 

[Finman]

There are some polite people in Finland too, believe it or not.

Name at least one?
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Juhani, think twise, are you are going to win these forum pokers.

 

[Norton]

Juhani is a very polite person - he didn't last long in the October sun when he visited me. I can also vouch for Finman being a real beekeeper - even bought some queens from me.

 

[Finman]

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Question is, can I use chemicals when I nurse bees. When natural beekeepers come to advice me in beekeeping, I will show their place. That simple.

They are like Jesus:" Sell all your property and follow me". That I do not call politeness.

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[TryingToLetThemBee]

At least he is honest.

And extremely funny.

 

[Norton]

Yes, I just mentioned to him that he should consider becoming a stand-up comedian.

 

[Finman]

Yes, I just mentioned to him that he should consider becoming a stand-up comedian.

That is what I am training...with clever audiance. (intelligenzia!)
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[jenkinsbrynmair]

Juhani is a very polite person - he didn't last long in the October sun when he visited me. I can also vouch for Finman being a real beekeeper - even bought some queens from me.

When was that then?

 

[Finman]

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Juhani is tough guy in his work. He has bred long time his mite resistant bees.
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One problem is that we have short period to do breeding work.
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And NZ experts tried to breed mite resistant bees like Fusion Power did, but the project collapsed totally.

On the Isle of Gotland they have got self living population n 10 years, when they moved resistant colonies from a Danish breeding isle.

But mite free bee is to expencive to keep, if I must donate half of my yield to the mite. Terrible idea.
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