National Bee Improvement

[Levitt53]

These are worth watching. I'm going to bear all this in mind next year. It fits in well with my treatment free ethos I think. Webinars – BIBBA

 

[Swarm]

If we are ever to establish varroa tolerance and treatment free bees, it's through raising our own queens in their own environment.

 

[Levitt53]

If we are ever to establish varroa tolerance and treatment free bees, it's through raising our own queens in their own environment.

Absolutely.

 

[Ian123]

If we are ever to establish varroa tolerance and treatment free bees, it's through raising our own queens in their own environment.

Is it in realistically or is it better to work with those breeders, association’s or breeding groups world wide some who have been doing it for decades. Rather like B+ does, in reality are there any that have come close in this country.

 

[Apple]

Is it in realistically or is it better to work with those breeders, association’s or breeding groups world wide some who have been doing it for decades. Rather like B+ does, in reality are there any that have come close in this country.

NO we need to work with our own stock... importing will only work against this.
There is a beekeeper down in the far west of Cornwall who has carried out a lot of work on Varroa and has even been awarded the beekeeping worlds version of the Nobel Prize in recognition.
Keeps himself to himself ....

 

[fiat500bee]

If we are ever to establish varroa tolerance and treatment free bees, it's through raising our own queens in their own environment.

I was about to post: Once the professionals realise that there's money to be made from varroa resistance there'll be a new reason to buy-in queens.
The breeder near me already sells "Hygienic Queens".

and then I see that point being made...

Is it in realistically or is it better to work with those breeders, association’s or breeding groups world wide some who have been doing it for decades. Rather like B+ does, in reality are there any that have come close in this country.

 

[Swarm]

Yes, so we hear though some don't appear to be any more hygienic than the rest.
I suppose we could exterminate every bee in the country and buy into man made bees.
No thanks, I'll keep my money.

 

[elainemary]

Arrived in the post today - new BBKA publication on varroa resistant bees. All about hygienic behaviour, where the naturally resistant populations are, what is behind the biological mechanisms and how to measure the extent to which your bees are showing resistant traits. £4 from the BBKA shop
Elaine

 

[fiat500bee]

I suppose we could exterminate every bee in the country and buy into man made bees.

As always, nature will prevail; the best adapted bees will "win".

 

[Boston Bees]

You have to be careful with these BIBBA videos though. I watched one from Roger Patterson about 2 frame nucs but the initial segment had been accidentally hacked into by some guy who had just got out of bed. It was pretty scary. You can see if you scroll down to the bottom of the BIBBA webinars page and click the 2 frame nuc presentation

https://bibba.com/webinars/
or the direct link is here:

https://zoom.us/rec/share/usEoAY3T1...u5T6AHs4aO3HH3XEo75pV?startTime=1592935054000

 

[Nige.Coll]

The issue with varroa resistant bees is they swarm a lot and make little honey. Tom seeley.
Problems with bee breeding are if you focus on one point then other points fail. Lasi.
The lasi bees are the perfect example, allegedly varroa tolerant but ended up with EFB after making a lot of money.
Personally I think it is a bit much to expect a species to learn to deal with a parasite that isn't typical to that species in a short time.
it will take many years for apis mellifera to learn to deal with the pest of apis cerana based on the differences in brood etc.
maybe the secret is to raise bees resistant to the local variants of viruses spread by varroa. Ron Hoskins.
The oldest varroa tolerant bees can only survive in their locality all the queens that were moved away from their locality died.
The research suggests that it is different variants of the viruses that kill the colonies not the varroa tolerance.
This seems to be the line that N Careck is following atm.

 

[Swarm]

I had a very nice conversation today with the beekeeper near me who tried a couple of native queens this year plus the one I gave him. Nothing but praise, he is delighted with them, good solid brood pattern, hardy foragers and gentle. He still has a couple of hot colonies that need dealing with and intends to raise some queens from the new ones to requeen them next year. They were moved to a remote spot well out of the way to avoid any problems

 

[Buzzlodge]

I believe that bees in the wild are dealing well with varroa now, in their own way.
The colony dies out from varroa, typically after four years.
But meanwhile the bees have swarmed maybe several times and established new colonies.
The dead out nest gets reoccupied by a new swarm the following year.
And the cycle repeats.

 

[Ian123]

I believe that bees in the wild are dealing well with varroa now, in their own way.
The colony dies out from varroa, typically after four years.

What evidence do you have on wild bees coping, there are a handful of researched areas boasting wild bees coping. Results with these bees are very mixed when the researchers get there. Not sure there’s a huge amount of evidence for that four years either a large proportion of colonies don’t make it the first year. A friend had an unmanaged colony in a skep display for well over a decade they rarely made even the Start of the third season. As someone who over the years has done a huge number of removals the vast majority do not look like thriving examples of pre varroa and many look like recent occupations of previous dead outs. It’s also not uncommon to look at a entrance and expect to find a reasonable colony inside only to be disappointed and find a colony just hanging in there.

 

[Ian123]

Should also say even a large percentage of bbka members managed hives don’t last 4 years

 

[Murox]

Should also say even a large percentage of bbka members managed hives don’t last 4 years

That would be from your own personal experience then ! ?

 

[Ian123]

That would be from your own personal experience then ! ?

Yes I’ve read the winter loss surveys they issue

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Should also say even a large percentage of bbka members managed hives don’t last 4 years

pretty generous giving them four years!!

 

[Ian123]

pretty generous giving them four years!!

Mmm..........I stand corrected

 

[hemo]

Probably using matchsticks ???