I'll kick this off with Chris's post.

[Erichalfbee]

That's a given, (unless you're @Beesnaturally). But the observations support what is often denied here or for which evidence is demanded....that the evolution of resistance to disease can be swift.
However, this instance of observed resistance does not have as its target an insect, that is used in a domesticated manner nor does it, (to the best of my knowledge), involve a parasitic mite.

Interesting nevertheless.
In Jurassic Park, after all, Female dinosaurs found a way

 

[plain_hunt]

Interesting nevertheless.
In Jurassic Park, after all, Female dinosaurs found a way

But dinosaurs are extinct, and have been for quite a number of years……

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

But dinosaurs are extinct, and have been for quite a number of years……

Rubbish!
There's plenty roaming around in the BBKA!

 

[Ian123]

Rubbish!
There's plenty roaming around in the BBKA!

They’re evolving at a considerable pace then if that’s the case

 

[Erichalfbee]

But dinosaurs are extinct, and have been for quite a number of years……

Not on Isla Nublar

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

They’re evolving at a considerable pace then if that’s the case

like a salmonella culture in a petri dish

 

[madasafish]

Rubbish!
There's plenty roaming around in the BBKA!

Tried shook swarming a dinosaur recently?

 

[plain_hunt]

Tried shook swarming a dinosaur recently?

It would save going to the gym!

 

[Bazzer]

What IPM do you use?

None - I use wired foundationless brood frames throughout and mainly multi-storey 6 frame Maisemore polynuc boxes with ~2in entrances on each storey. Evidence of varroa resistant behaviour include extensive grooming at the entrance and extensive removal of drone larvae

 

[Swarm]

Hello Bazzer,
Would you mind giving us a bit of a description of your management regime? I run some colonies on one size box, national deeps, dummied to nine frames per box, I rotate the boxes according to nest expansion and I will normally have a colony or two in poly nuc towers but I don't add upper entrances. I'm intrigued at your choice of two inch entrances, it seems quite big, are they left open etc?

 

[Bazzer]

Hello Bazzer,
Would you mind giving us a bit of a description of your management regime? I run some colonies on one size box, national deeps, dummied to nine frames per box, I rotate the boxes according to nest expansion and I will normally have a colony or two in poly nuc towers but I don't add upper entrances. I'm intrigued at your choice of two inch entrances, it seems quite big, are they left open etc?

Hi Swarm – where I am located there is minimal chance of taking a spring crop but there are many good sources of pollen and generally enough nectar to allow for good colony growth and collection of enough stores to get through the early July gap. My main crop comes from heather and Himalayan balsam. Management mainly involves two routes 1) building poly nucs up to 3 or 4 strong boxes then splitting off two new 3 frame nucs 2) harvesting bees from strong nucs to make up mating boxes for queen breeding – QC obtained from grafts put into a queen starter/builder. I then use these mated queens to make up nucs by breaking down the slower building colonies. see @lomondbees on Twitter for more pics
I will post about the entrances separately

 

[Bazzer]

Hello Bazzer,
Would you mind giving us a bit of a description of your management regime? I run some colonies on one size box, national deeps, dummied to nine frames per box, I rotate the boxes according to nest expansion and I will normally have a colony or two in poly nuc towers but I don't add upper entrances. I'm intrigued at your choice of two inch entrances, it seems quite big, are they left open etc?

The entrances have a back to them so the bees have to move downwards to enter the hive - this works very well to minimise wasp problems - I now very rarely lose a new nuc. The upper entrances get used all winter.

 

[humphreys941]

Hi Chris
Congratulations on your success. Where did you source your starter colonies - are there unmanaged / wild bees in the area? And how did you increase up to 28?
Steve

Hi Steve. Sorry for not getting back to you sooner, very busy just now.
1. My first 2 Nucs came from a club member in 2018 and 2019. Both are still alive, now 6 and 5 years old. And believe it or not, but he Queen from 2018 is still alive and kicking. Yes It may be unbelievable, but it's true, my records show it.
2. Yes they are managed. with a IMP, No Chemical treatments.
However I now have 5 Log Hives which are not managed. They are left to their own devises. One was found to be honey bound in the summer and the bees left. I got 30kg of honey out of the log. It's now ready for a swarm to move into.
3. I have 3 colonies of wild tree bees that I cut out of fallen trees, all doing very well. One colony has very calm bees, which I intend to breed off this year.
4. I went from one in 18, to 4 in 19, to 12 in 21, and last year to 34 at one point. I'm the North Lancaster and South Cumbria swarm collector, so was called out to 19 swarms, of which some were given away once they had gone through quarantine, the rest I've got as over wintered NUCs. The rest were a result of splits.
I unfortunately lost 2 colonies this winter. One was too small going into winter and dwindled. The second was as a result of Nosema. The rest are doing well.
Chris

 

[ericbeaumont]

died through being honey bound

Caught sight of this wonky deduction: in winter they would survive and in summer, swarm.

Ah! An update just now at post 33 tells it was found to be honey bound in the summer and the bees left. I assume you mean they swarmed until none were left? Usually the colony determines when to cease cast swarms and settle down, but if the virgin fails, then the colony will dwindle and become prey to robbing and late summer wasps.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Just caught sight of this wonky deduction: in winter they would survive and in summer, swarm.

and it's doubtful they would abscond, probably dwindled and died from varroasis

 

[Steve at Westerham Beeks]

Hi Steve. Sorry for not getting back to you sooner, very busy just now.
1. My first 2 Nucs came from a club member in 2018 and 2019. Both are still alive, now 6 and 5 years old. And believe it or not, but he Queen from 2018 is still alive and kicking. Yes It may be unbelievable, but it's true, my records show it.
2. Yes they are managed. with a IMP, No Chemical treatments.
However I now have 5 Log Hives which are not managed. They are left to their own devises. One was found to be honey bound in the summer and the bees left. I got 30kg of honey out of the log. It's now ready for a swarm to move into.
3. I have 3 colonies of wild tree bees that I cut out of fallen trees, all doing very well. One colony has very calm bees, which I intend to breed off this year.
4. I went from one in 18, to 4 in 19, to 12 in 21, and last year to 34 at one point. I'm the North Lancaster and South Cumbria swarm collector, so was called out to 19 swarms, of which some were given away once they had gone through quarantine, the rest I've got as over wintered NUCs. The rest were a result of splits.
I unfortunately lost 2 colonies this winter. One was too small going into winter and dwindled. The second was as a result of Nosema. The rest are doing well.
Chris

Well played Chris. Sounds like you have access to varroa resistant genetics in those tree bees. That has been a good starting point for other TF beekeepers in the UK.
Best of luck for the season ahead.
Steve

 

[Levitt53]

Gosh so glad I have seen this thread. I have mentioned treatment free on the main threads a few times and been shot down so I only dip into this forum occasionally. I have been keeping bees since 2016 and apart from the first year when I did treat I have not treated, don't count mites, to be honest don't even think about it. I have had one colony over the years which definitely did dwindled due to varroosis I think, but I breed from the bees that are successful (and nice-ish). If they are not they get replaced. I find it really quite simple. Lots of honey - absolutely tons of bees. I have no IPM strategy at all. I figure the bees have had enough time to work out how to live with varroa and I let them get on with it. I do wish more people would give it a go. Beekeeping is enough of a faff as it is without the worry of having to treat them.

 

[Steve at Westerham Beeks]

Gosh so glad I have seen this thread. I have mentioned treatment free on the main threads a few times and been shot down so I only dip into this forum occasionally. I have been keeping bees since 2016 and apart from the first year when I did treat I have not treated, don't count mites, to be honest don't even think about it. I have had one colony over the years which definitely did dwindled due to varroosis I think, but I breed from the bees that are successful (and nice-ish). If they are not they get replaced. I find it really quite simple. Lots of honey - absolutely tons of bees. I have no IPM strategy at all. I figure the bees have had enough time to work out how to live with varroa and I let them get on with it. I do wish more people would give it a go. Beekeeping is enough of a faff as it is without the worry of having to treat them.

The evidence of long standing varroa resistant colonies in the UK and elsewhere shows that some honeybees have adapted their hygienic behaviours to cope with mites in the c30 years since they arrived. Only bees that are locally adapted to their environment, without too much disturbance from bees being imported into the area. All the traits have been published on the education site www.varroaresistant.uk including case studies in the UK.

Do you think you benefited from any local feral colonies ?

 

[Levitt53]

The evidence of long standing varroa resistant colonies in the UK and elsewhere shows that some honeybees have adapted their hygienic behaviours to cope with mites in the c30 years since they arrived. Only bees that are locally adapted to their environment, without too much disturbance from bees being imported into the area. All the traits have been published on the education site www.varroaresistant.uk including case studies in the UK.

Do you think you benefited from any local feral colonies ?

Probably, I have kept a genealogy chart for about 3 years and now have some 5th generation queens. I certainly have never bought a queen. My colonies are either from locally collected swarms or from my stock. To be honest I don't think about it. I just bee keep as if varroa does not exist.

 

[Beesnaturally]

We don't need to "save the bees" this way so it's optional
But I better stop there....this section is for beekeepers to discuss their ways of not treating, not why they shouldn't.
Nature, as they say, always finds a way

The best way of not treating (in fact the only way that makes semantic sense) is to.... not treat. ('Treat' here means any and every action designed to help the individual colony). Just bait for feral swarms or locate queens from successful non-treaters (my sense above); then do nothing while the cream rises to the top.

Once you have found your best resistant and productive strains, make increase from them.

If you can have many such hives, or organise a local group, you have a better chance.

If you have plenty of local feral bees you are laughing.

Do stay away from treated/bought-in (let's say 'commercial') bees in as many ways as you can.

Essentially: set up the conditions for natural selection to play out and don't interfere until you are pretty sure you can help the local population. Do not mangle the local population with commercial drones.

---------------
Added later
There is of course more to be said. Swarms, in the wilds, are believed to suffer a fierce death rate, so if you want your baited colonies to survive and to boom into spring, the later, and smaller, swarms benefit from help. The same with splits. Yes this is a compromise with natural selection.

Again: Wax combs only last for around 6 or 7 years, and the bees can't replace them, so rotating out old wax is a necessity if you want to keep the same box going.

But remember: the same box isn't the same colony. It will be a daughter of the founding queen, who'll have gone her way, perhaps succeeded in securing a second colony before dying. I'm not sure at this moment why its important to mention that, but I think it is.