LASI hygienic queens....open for business

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Erica & JMB

Thanks for the reports of Prof Ratnieks' presentation.

Do you recall whether anything was said about Type a, Type b or Type c DWV viruses or Ron Hoskins' version of hygienic bees, in Swindon?

CVB

If you didn't know better, you'd have thought the two types did not exist, he banged on abou DWV but no mention of more than one type. I did tell him I had two questions but he was very proactive in looking straight past me whenever I tried to get a question in about DWV and Prof. Martin's work.

 

[dpearce4]

if you remember they employed a very good beekeeper back in 2012.

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showpost.php?p=194836&postcount=3

They employed a gent called Luciano Scandian, when he was employed he brought his hives with him (80 I believe) with bees he had been producing his own queens from for over 20 years so they have the expertise to do quite large queen production.

this is the published research article about it back in 2014

http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/53337/1/Al_Toufailia_et_al_(2014).pdf

you can meet the team at their workshops here

https://alumni.sussex.ac.uk/lasi-workshops (http://www.-------------/news_and_events/integrated_varroa_management)

this is the most reicent publication from feb 2016 about "Towards integrated control of varroa: 2)comparing application methods and doses of oxalic acid on the mortality of phoretic Varroa destructor mites and their honey bee hosts"

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00218839.2015.1106777

 

[B+.]

To be honest he wasn't interested in much apart from plugging his mythical bees and insisting we do it his way and no other.

Thank you Erica/JBM.
It sounds like a very disappointing presentation.

 

[REDWOOD]

Just thought I would open this back up for some honest opinions from beekeepers who have purchased queens

 

[MuswellMetro]

if you remember they employed a very good beekeeper back in 2012.

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showpost.php?p=194836&postcount=3

They employed a gent called Luciano Scandian, when he was employed he brought his hives with him (80 I believe) with bees he had been producing his own queens from for over 20 years so they have the expertise to do quite large queen production.

this is the published research article about it back in 2014

http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/53337/1/Al_Toufailia_et_al_(2014).pdf

you can meet the team at their workshops here

https://alumni.sussex.ac.uk/lasi-workshops (http://www.-------------/news_and_events/integrated_varroa_management)

this is the most reicent publication from feb 2016 about "Towards integrated control of varroa: 2)comparing application methods and doses of oxalic acid on the mortality of phoretic Varroa destructor mites and their honey bee hosts"

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00218839.2015.1106777

My sources said that when tested Luciano's bees were more hygienic than all their special queens they had inseminated LOL

i have seen two LASI mated queens purchased by other beekeepers and to me both of the LASI queens were very small when compared to my bees (london mongrels/buckfast/italian crosses)

whether that is their race or underfed queen cells i dont know

 

[Cazza]

My LASI queen is normal sized compared to my mongrels. Laying well. Temper of colony is good. No issues.
Cazza

 

[B+.]

My LASI queen is normal sized compared to my mongrels. Laying well. Temper of colony is good. No issues.
Cazza

Are you doing any mite comparisons? How does this look?

 

[Erichalfbee]

I have two. Installed in nucs in July. Both are now in full sized hives. I'm not planning on doing any testing till next year as they have only just got going.

 

[B+.]

I have two. Installed in nucs in July. Both are now in full sized hives. I'm not planning on doing any testing till next year as they have only just got going.

Very wise. You will need to examine her progeny anyway so this is the correct approach

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes. That's the way I looked at it. It would be good to do a side by side comparison.

 

[charlievictorbravo]

I have two. Installed in nucs in July. Both are now in full sized hives. I'm not planning on doing any testing till next year as they have only just got going.

Couldn't you just whet our appetites by doing the occasional natural mite drop count? If I'd spent good money on hygienic queens, I don't think I could stop myself inserting the monitoring boards, polishing up the magnifying glass and preparing the spreadsheet for the results!

CVB

 

[Erichalfbee]

CVB
I could but I suspect they would be meaningless. I don't think natural mite drop is much of an indication of infestation unless there are "lots" pointing to "lots" more in the box.
To complicate matters I haven't got other colonies of comparable sizes to maybe do a sugar roll.
It will be watch this space......next year

 

[Poly Hive]

Hmmm have you read Super Bees by Taber?

PH

 

[MuswellMetro]

Couldn't you just whet our appetites by doing the occasional natural mite drop count? If I'd spent good money on hygienic queens, I don't think I could stop myself inserting the monitoring boards, polishing up the magnifying glass and preparing the spreadsheet for the results!

CVB

Are LASI saying their hygienic queen reduce Varroa levels, I thought what the are saying is that the LASI queens produce workers that remove larva infected with DWV, therefore DWV is not a problem in the hive as nurse bees dont pass in on

Therefore the colony could survives with a higher varroa load, if it has lower DWV and needs only oxalic dihydrate sublimated once and thats during winter

so conversly a higher varroa drop could be likley not a lower drop

 

[Finman]

Are LASI saying their hygienic queen reduce Varroa levels, I thought what the are saying is that the LASI queens produce workers that remove larva infected with DWV, therefore DWV is not a problem in the hive as nurse bees dont pass in on

According test they remove frozen brood. Nothing else.

The rest, what you write, is result of imagination.

 

[Apiarisnt]

"Varroa Mites
Research at LASI has shown that hygienic behaviour significantly reduces varroa population increase. On average, over one year hygienic colonies had only 43% the varroa increase of non-hygienic colonies.

Deformed Wing Virus
Research at LASI has shown that hygienic colonies have greatly reduced levels of virus (on average, approximately 10,000 times less) and have greater survival. When a colony has workers with shrivelled wings, a symptom of a DWV, this is an indication that it will die soon. Requeening these colonies with hygienic queens greatly extended their lives.

American Foul Brood
Research in the USA has shown that hygienic behaviour is effective against AFB. Professor Marla Spivak of the University of Minnesota innoculated 18 hygienic and 18 non-hygienic colonies with AFB spores. Of the hygienic colonies, 7 had AFB symptoms but 5 recovered to give 2 with AFB. Of the non-hygienic colonies results, 18 had AFB symptoms but 1 recovered to give 17 with AFB.

Chalkbrood
Research in the USA has shown that hygienic behaviour is effective against chalkbrood. Professor Marla Spivak studied 18 hygienic and 18 non-hygienic colonies. Of the hygienic colonies, 6 had chalkbrood. Of the non-hygienic colonies, all 18 had chalk brood. "

from the LASI website

 

[B+.]

Hmmm have you read Super Bees by Taber?

PH

Yes. I reread it again recently actually. An excellent book!
Whats your point PH?

 

[charlievictorbravo]

Are LASI saying their hygienic queen reduce Varroa levels, I thought what the are saying is that the LASI queens produce workers that remove larva infected with DWV, therefore DWV is not a problem in the hive as nurse bees dont pass in on

Therefore the colony could survives with a higher varroa load, if it has lower DWV and needs only oxalic dihydrate sublimated once and thats during winter

so conversely a higher varroa drop could be likley not a lower drop

You may be right but I thought the LASI bees removed larvae that were sharing a cell with Varroa Mites and therein infecting the larvae with DWV. Somebody will be along who knows for sure.

CVB

 

[Truble]

"Varroa Mites
On average, over one year hygienic colonies had only 43% the varroa increase of non-hygienic colonies.

I think the worrying bit is the varroa levels still increase in their hygienic strains.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I think the worrying bit is the varroa levels still increase in their hygienic strains.

Yes. Ratniek's assertion is that if you have one of his queens you need treat only once when brood-less as at that level of increase the bees are still coping with the infestation