How long does a bee colony last?

[Ian123]

Until we change the bees we breed there will be no change.
There's no hunger for change in this country whilst we can treat bees that produce high yields.
No difference from the rest of the farming sector.

We’ll that’s not correct or the previous statement ref the US, there’s a huge number of breeders/groups working on bees showing tolerance. In fact you can even find them commercially available in the UK. How good they are in practice or real world situations and at the hands of many beekeepers is another matter! But there’s work being done. Personally I’ll look forward to the day they are readily available from the larger breeders/groups and importers. On its own I doubt it’ll be enough on course but at least another tool in the armoury. Ian

 

[bingevader]

I know there are breeders/groups working on tolerance.
However, I'd wouldn't say a huge number!
There's still little desire for change in the UK, especially with the bee farmers, who see the alternative as delivering poorer yields.
A straw pole on here would show that Buckfast strains are still the most popular, and they were never bred for resistance.
I tried recently to purchase a queen and could only find Buckfasts available.
If the percentages regarding US deaths were true, then it follows that my statement must be true also, or more bees would be surviving.

 

[beekeepershens]

You may find the answer in Tom Sealy’s work, he studied swarms in trees and concluded that a swarm only survived on average 1 year.

I forget that report, why did Tom conclude the swarm only survived 1 year? was this the varroa issue?, if my bees die from varroa I will be devastated as it will mean someone ie brought varroa into the area,,

 

[Finman]

We’ll that’s not correct or the previous statement ref the US, there’s a huge number of breeders/groups working on bees showing tolerance. In fact you can even find them commercially available in the UK. How good they are in practice or real world situations and at the hands of many beekeepers is another matter! But there’s work being done. Personally I’ll look forward to the day they are readily available from the larger breeders/groups and importers. On its own I doubt it’ll be enough on course but at least another tool in the armoury. Ian

There was a few year ago research in USA, where it was tested the varroa tolerance between resistant and non resistant queens. (UK does not have such reseaches).

The result was, that there is a statistical difference between them . The difference was 10%. When you count, that varroa multiply itself in one month 100% , difference of 10% has no practucal value.

About resistant hybrids the researcher said, that there was no difference.
The researcher told too, that when he got tolerant queens from the breeder, some queens were hybrids. Propably the breeder does not even know, which of his queens are tolerant or non tolerant.

I have met only 2 research about tolerant queens, and boath say that hybrids are nontolerant.

We can understand, why the idea of testing tolerancy is not popular. There are tens of queen breeders, who sell tolerant queens and say that free mate queens are half tolerant too. You are ex researcher if you touch wrong things.

It is wonder, that hobby beekeepers have so much tolerant bees but in loss research they have huge losses annually. They do not know why the hives died.

Best reseachers in USA recommen to use treatments, but the beekeepers do not mind.

Then we have Pargyle in The UK, who says the his friends have tolerant bees, and as far he knows, they do not loose much colonies.

It seems that the most important thing is that you do not loose your belief. It is more value than some hives. If a hive dies, at least it did not die by varroa.

 

[Ian123]

I know there are breeders/groups working on tolerance.
However, I'd wouldn't say a huge number!
There's still little desire for change in the UK, especially with the bee farmers, who see the alternative as delivering poorer yields.
A straw pole on here would show that Buckfast strains are still the most popular, and they were never bred for resistance.
I tried recently to purchase a queen and could only find Buckfasts available.
If the percentages regarding US deaths were true, then it follows that my statement must be true also, or more bees would be surviving.

There’s obviously not a huge number doing it as it’s rather specialist work and for success requires closed mating areas or ii as demonstrated by B+ on this forum. As for desire for change being limited amongst BFA members what gives you that idea. A quick google shows BFA members offering queens from vsh mothers, and I can’t think of a single group that would benefit more in terms of time and money. Ive also no idea why there would be a loss of production.? Unless you mean they don’t want a local wonder mongrel produced by 2 codgers and the dog in the local bbka apiaryI’ve also no idea why you say buckfast was never bred for tolerance. Unless you incorrectly think no more improvements/breeding is being done. For starters that could be said for any race or strain. Here’s a link to a current! Buckfast breeder working with others producing vsh queens
https://www.buckfast-zucht.de/en/There are others and Carnica groups as well. I also predict in the coming seasons there’s more and more adverts for vsh queens produced by bee farmers!

 

[Finman]

r vsh queens produced by bee farmers!

Sorry

Vsh= varroa sensitive hygiene.

I mixed it to ordinary hygiene.

 

[bingevader]

There’s obviously not a huge number doing it as it’s rather specialist work and for success requires closed mating areas or ii as demonstrated by B+ on this forum. As for desire for change being limited amongst BFA members what gives you that idea. A quick google shows BFA members offering queens from vsh mothers, and I can’t think of a single group that would benefit more in terms of time and money. Ive also no idea why there would be a loss of production.? Unless you mean they don’t want a local wonder mongrel produced by 2 codgers and the dog in the local bbka apiaryI’ve also no idea why you say buckfast was never bred for tolerance. Unless you incorrectly think no more improvements/breeding is being done. For starters that could be said for any race or strain. Here’s a link to a current! Buckfast breeder working with others producing vsh queens
https://www.buckfast-zucht.de/en/There are others and Carnica groups as well. I also predict in the coming seasons there’s more and more adverts for vsh queens produced by bee farmers!

I'm loving your positivity!
The link is to a German group though.
And it it's all a bit Manyana!
I wait in hope for some kind of fruition.
In Wales, other than a few small isolated pockets, it still feels a long way away.