Hypoaspis for varroa control?

[wightbees]

If you look at this link you will see a ref to Fungi.
http://www.jiventure.info/Fungi

Under Risk in the link above it does state this >
If any problem is discovered after dissemination, it will be very difficult to remove the fungi from the environment.

I had a quick google and seen what Metarhizium anisopliase did to a cockroach,could this then turn on the Bees.

 

[carbon]

OK this is shaping into a more general discussion on biological control. Please google "cane toad" before putting in any more speculative comments.

Very interesting about the fungal approach, but can we please restrict this thread to Hypoaspis? Thanks.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Please google "cane toad" before putting in any more speculative comments.

Done that and found plenty of imformation on cane toads..link with some more about them below.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cane_toads_in_Australia

 

[FreeFall]

I wonder whether they might develop a taste for nice soft bee eggs, after having been taken from their natural environment and put in a hive - developing into a new pest that specifically targets bees.

I have no reason to believe this may be so, just an idle thought.

 

[DanBee]

I wonder whether they might develop a taste for nice soft bee eggs, after having been taken from their natural environment and put in a hive - developing into a new pest that specifically targets bees.

I have no reason to believe this may be so, just an idle thought.

My thoughts too... pure speculation but I would assume the good mite population will increase as it consumes the bad mites, leaving lots of hungry mouths to feed on what?

 

[carbon]

My thoughts too... pure speculation but I would assume the good mite population will increase as it consumes the bad mites, leaving lots of hungry mouths to feed on what?

The thinking behind biological control is that only the target species is hit. Myxomatosis in rabbits (not hares) is a good example, cane toads in just about everything is a very very bad one.

So the hope would be that a mite-eating mite would not turn its attention to bee eggs, but my original request was really around whether anyone actually knows that to be the case.

It's easy to anthropomorpise this and imagine that hungry mites would start looking around at what else the beehive smorgasbord has to offer, but the reality is that they wouldn't even recognise anything else as food.

Just varroa. Mmmmm.