Scientific paper on potentially varroa-resistant "Pol-Line" bees

[Boston Bees]

Happy reading!

A derived honey bee stock confers resistance to Varroa destructor and associated viral transmission | Scientific Reports (nature.com)

 

[Wilco]

Initial reaction: in Nature so pinch of salt time. Why is it in Nature?

Not perfect but some interesting bits. Authors may have an agenda but do seem to be trying to be scientifically rigorous.

First couple of lines of abstract seem to claim there is only limited effective treatment for varroa.

Only occurred over one year. Not convinced that's very long to assess colony survival. Is acknowledged.

Migratory beekeeping... Almond harvest... Colony survival... Hmm.

Queens open mated with drone flooding but no data on the specifics of this and controlling for other colonies.

Good numbers of colonies used.

Amitraz as sole treatment and repeated use, no rotation. Would be interested to see a repeat of this project using OA sublimation.

Not sure about their considering a colony dead if the queen was superceded. Misses the superorganism thing but suppose it's drawing a line somewhere.

Non normal distribution... Wonder what the causes were.

60% and 30% survival over a year... Says something about US beekeeping? Some colonies also starved.

Some weaknesses but on initial reading, looks like a considered study. Not sure how much it changes. Would be interested to know about this Pol line and commercial line survival with no treatments at all.

Confirms:

• high varroa correlates with increased colony mortality
• More treatment with Amitraz is more effective than less treatment.
• There may be something to a genetic basis for varroa resistance but in this case does not provide proof of 'treatment free', just that a multimodal approach conferred inproved survival within the constraints and specifics of this study.

Found (and I found interesting):

• Difference in how much treatment affected the groups: treatment had a bigger effect on the 'commercial' strains.
• Not much difference in honey production in surviving colonies. Commercial strain produced similar amount of honey despite high burden. However, more pol colonies surviving = more honey overall.
• Lower viral titre did not correlate with increasing survival.
• Whilst lower varroa in the pol line, commercial ones that survive seem to be able to do so with high varroa levels. (to my mind this suggests they are potentially showing ability to co-exist).

 

[JamezF]

More treatment with Amitraz is more effective than less treatment.

I've not read the paper yet, but aren't there already Amitraz-resistant varroa, in which case is using it more a good idea at all?

James

 

[Apiarisnt]

I've not read the paper yet, but aren't there already Amitraz-resistant varroa, in which case is using it more a good idea at all?

James

 

[rolande]

Would be interested to know about this Pol line

https://vpqueenbees.com/vp-breeding-program/pol-line

 

[Ian123]

It’s amazing that people/researchers go to such lengths, when evidently all you have to do is collect some swarms from isolated areas in Kent. It’s a wonder there’s not a lengthy queue of researchers to enter this bastion of tolerant bees and save the world. Maybe there all on the day trip coach to Blenheim

 

[Beesnaturally]

I think its one of a number of scientific studies resulting from a COLOSS project that has been running for over a decade.

I'm not sure if this is the best way in, but its a lead.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0005772X.2021.1993611?src=recsys
This one might be better.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/ful...Fq_Wwq_0ZxyUk20aDsXcesv2A2BLnypnovBUDG2NJTbtk
Its one of several scientific papers that look at aspects of the development of varroa resistance in naturally selecting populations, and at how beekeepers and bee breeders can make use of them.

 

[Boston Bees]

One thing that comes strongly out of this study is what an appalling state US honey bees (or at least those in this study) are in.

The segment of bees in this study with the highest survival rate ("Pol-line", high varroa treatment) still suffered a c28% loss over a single season, a result which would leave any UK beekeeper with a decent number of hives feeling slightly ashamed of themselves, I think?

This seems to be true even for the colonies in the study that weren't used in migratory beekeeping (in fact, they seem to have done even worse than the migratory ones).

 

[Beesnaturally]

One thing that comes strongly out of this study is what an appalling state US honey bees (or at least those in this study) are in.

The segment of bees in this study with the highest survival rate ("Pol-line", high varroa treatment) still suffered a c28% loss over a single season, a result which would leave any UK beekeeper with a decent number of hives feeling slightly ashamed of themselves, I think?

This seems to be true even for the colonies in the study that weren't used in migratory beekeeping (in fact, they seem to have done even worse than the migratory ones).

If you track back through the Coloss links I supplied above you'll find a study that looks at the comparative survival rates for local vs foreign bees. No prizes for guessing which win.

As well as the information in the present paper about naturally selected surviving strains. I believe 7 years is mentioned at one point. Pretty much the life of a nest site.

 

[Finman]

It was difficult to me to understand, what researchers found in their project.

When I look bee colony losses in USA during 14 years, I cannot see that mite tolerant bees have effect on these surveys. The colony loss researchers say, that beekeepers trust on more natural beekeepers' yeaching than researchers' teaching.

You see, that losses are slightly going up.