Honeybee colonies down 53%

[BeeJayBee]

I have read about this. (Ron Hoskins)

I've heard him talk. The website doesn't do the research justice, but this might help http://www.swindonhoneybeeconservation.org.uk/About Us.html

By now [2008] we had around 50 hives that have seen no form of Varroa control, no chemicals, shook swarm or drone culling, since before 2003.

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[Finman]

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Like this project in NZ

http://tvnz.co.nz/content/1506705/423466.html

"Breakthrough in Varroa mite battle
Published: 7:20PM Sunday December 16, 2007"

It is now after 5 years....and breeding continues.

It is not that easy that you find a hive which has not mites

NZ breeders got varroa tolerant Carniolan bee stock from Germany and started to continue breeding them on Mercury Island, which is isolated and no other bees.

This is only one example what different countries make in breeding. I suppose that they are tens in the world.





[PDF]
Bees, Varroa and Mercury Island
maxa.maf.govt.nz/.../breeding-vsh-bees-in-nz.pdf - Käännä tämä sivu





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[Little John]

Apparently, apis mellifera ruttneri (from Malta) is fairly varroa-resistant.


BTW - anyone know anything about the Greek 'Red Queen Bee' mentioned by Aristotle ?

"There are two types of kings (sic), the better sort of which is red, and the other sort is black and variegated, and in size double that of a good bee." Book IX Chapter 27

My first thoughts were that maybe it could be apis florea (the red dwarf bee), but then that's an Asiatic bee.

LJ

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Apparently, apis mellifera ruttneri (from Malta) is fairly varroa-resistant.


BTW - anyone know anything about the Greek 'Red Queen Bee' mentioned by Aristotle ?

"There are two types of kings (sic), the better sort of which is red, and the other sort is black and variegated, and in size double that of a good bee." Book IX Chapter 27

My first thoughts were that maybe it could be apis florea (the red dwarf bee), but then that's an Asiatic bee.

LJ

No.

Clearly, Aristotle was writing in a year ending in 3 or 8.


Dusty.

 

[Finman]

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Here 16 pages information about varroa tolerant bees in Europe y 2010

Recently, a European-wide experiment was
initiated as part of the COLOSS project (http://
coloss.org) to estimate the resistance and vitality
of different European bee strains and
the interactions of these factors with different
environmental conditions. It comprises about
600 colonies of 17 different origins (A. m.
carnica, A. m ligustica, A. m macedonica, A.
m mellifera, A. m sicula) in 26 test apiaries
throughout Europe. The survival, bee population
and Varroa infestation development of the
colonies will be tested without using any acaricides
over several years.






[PDF]
Breeding for resistance to Varroa destructor in Europe* - COLOSS


www.coloss.org/.../buechler_et_al_Apido_10.1051.... -



and ecotypes (Ruttner, 1988) with different adaptive ... as a consequence of Varroa infestation but also due to a ... identified in untreated Apis mellifera popula- ...

 

[Dishmop]

It is not that easy that you find a hive which has not mites

doesnt mean a death sentence though.