Day at Sussex University

[beebreeder]

Has anyone on here ever been and is it worth the time at this time of year, opinions please or is anyone else going?
Kev

 

[DanBee]

I went when the Bee Farmers visited when the spring meeting was at Eastbourne - 3 years ago? - and stopped in about a month ago to talk to Norman Carreck as I was passing. Ratnieks can be very awkward with people but Norman and their apiarist (Gianluca?) are very welcoming and articulate.

What we saw last time was discussion of liquid nitrogen freeze killing, the general programme of improvement that they were looking to wrap around this measuring technique, and various observation hives etc. set up for behavioural and communication studies. They give a 'warts and all' account rather than coming across as perfect at first go.

I'm going on this next event because I want to see where they are now. I received a small number of queens to trial from them late last year, but survival has not been good principally due to the lateness of nuc establishment and the ensuing weather.

I am keen to support this project and to show support from the BFA. Yes, it's a day out in May and I may well come away with nothing new to apply to my beekeeping the following day, but the interest in what is happening outweighs that for me

 

[Chris B]

I went either last spring or the one before. (I thought it was last year but I remember it as a hot sunny day so maybe not.)

Very interesting yes.
Practical use no.

I was willing to go to the time and expense of selecting for hygienic bees. Then I asked a question, the answer to which clearly indicated that even if you breed hygienic bees that deal with varroa, you can't stop selecting because they will quickly revert to non-hygienic behaviour. So what's the point? Managing varroa is a lot cheaper than liquid nitrogen.

 

[beebreeder]

BeeWeaver Apiaries in the states seem to be doing well with no treatments but with a huge initial cost in colony loss but obviously now with no varroacide bill to meet they are on the right side, not advocating it in our small country, we just do not have the space to maintain the resistant stocks here