VARROA SENSITIVE HYGIENE

[Norton]

Varroa Sensitive Hygiene, is a developing behaviour in our bees for depressing mite levels. Here are two photographs taken today of a nuc with a queen from one of our own lines. The bees are able to detect the capped brood cells with Varroa mites, they uncap the cells to ****** the Varroa reproduction cycle, they might also remove the larva to access the mites. We can see an ever increasing frequency of this behaviour in our bees.

 

[pargyle]

That's really good news Norton ... there's a lot of people interested in seeing this trait develop in our honyebees. Are you selecting queens whose offspring specifically demonstrate this behaviour and just breeding from them ? Do you do pin tests ?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Varroa Sensitive Hygiene, is a developing behaviour in our bees for depressing mite levels. Here are two photographs taken today of a nuc with a queen from one of our own lines. The bees are able to detect the capped brood cells with Varroa mites, they uncap the cells to ****** the Varroa reproduction cycle, they might also remove the larva to access the mites. We can see an ever increasing frequency of this behaviour in our bees.

Hi Roger. Good news.
I had two VSH Carnica Queens from Paul Walton but because they were in an apiary of colonies headed by a hotch potch of queens their colonies got treated along with everybody else.
Their varroa load was always lower than the others though.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Are you still sending your queens to the U.K. by the way?

 

[Michael Palmer]

I'm running a breeding program here in Vermont with the U of Vermont honey bee lab. Third season up coming. The selection criteria includes low Nosema load, no brood disease, low varroa population growth, frozen brood assay to identify highly hygienic colonies, and the new Unhealthy Brood Odor assay. UBO selects for unhealthy brood. Don't confuse UBO assay with Frozen Brood assay. FBA measures the bees' response to dead brood as a measure of hygienic level. UBO measures the uncapping response to unhealthy brood. Unhealthy brood is brood with high varroa population or high virus levels...not dead brood. UBO assay measures the uncapping response, indicating the VSH level of the colony. You can find videos online about UBO. Search for Keira Wagoner. Here is one video by her.

This is a photo of one colony's response to her UBO assay. Colonies that show high uncapping, >60% in two hours, are thought to be highly VSH. Much simpler assay than the traditional VSH assay of removing pupae and counting foundress varroa mites. Time will tell

 

[Steve at Westerham Beeks]

Has anyone in the UK had experience of “VSH” queens, ie; not treated them?

And, has anyone sourced VSH stock from the UK? Not from imports?

Thank you

 

[Erichalfbee]

And, has anyone sourced VSH stock from the UK?

Yes, from Paul Walton and from Northumberland Bees
SIPA have UK bred VSH too

 

[JohnRB]

Yes, from Paul Walton and from Northumberland Bees
SIPA have UK bred VSH too

I have been lucky enough to have a couple of Paul's Queen's - quite simply the best bees I have ever had. Varroa counts were very low - you just have to get used to finding several uncapped pupa during inspections - the first time you see it you think 'What is wrong?'. followed by 'Oh, yes, I have hygienic bees!'

 

[Erichalfbee]

I have been lucky enough to have a couple of Paul's Queen's - quite simply the best bees I have ever had. Varroa counts were very low - you just have to get used to finding several uncapped pupa during inspections - the first time you see it you think 'What is wrong?'. followed by 'Oh, yes, I have hygienic bees!'

Did you treat the colonies?

 

[Steve at Westerham Beeks]

I have been lucky enough to have a couple of Paul's Queen's - quite simply the best bees I have ever had. Varroa counts were very low - you just have to get used to finding several uncapped pupa during inspections - the first time you see it you think 'What is wrong?'. followed by 'Oh, yes, I have hygienic bees!'

How long have you had them John (and not treated?) - thanks.

 

[JohnRB]

Did you treat the colonies?

I didn't give them my main autumn treatment, but I did do the Christmas oxalic trickle. Drops are very low

How long have you had them John (and not treated?) - thanks.

1 for 3 years and one for 2 years. Treated only at Christmas with oxalic trickle as mentioned in my other reply (I monitor varroa very carefully) I grafted from both and requeened another 4 colonies - obviously locally mated. They still show hygienic behaviour, but I would like to refresh the genes with Paul's latest - but not sure he is still selling. Last time we spoke more than a year ago I got the impression he was moving into the instrumental insemination game. They are not only good for vsh, but also honey production, temperament and (all mine) have over wintered well

 

[Erichalfbee]

I didn't give them my main autumn treatment, but I did do the Christmas oxalic trickle. Drops are very low

1 for 3 years and one for 2 years. Treated only at Christmas with oxalic trickle as mentioned in my other reply (I monitor varroa very carefully) I grafted from both and requeened another 4 colonies - obviously locally mated. They still show hygienic behaviour, but I would like to refresh the genes with Paul's latest - but not sure he is still selling. Last time we spoke more than a year ago I got the impression he was moving into the instrumental insemination game. They are not only good for vsh, but also honey production, temperament and (all mine) have over wintered well

That’s good to hear. Carnica have a bad reputation often dubbed swarmolians. It’s not true. They just need active management.

 

[fian]

Varroa beads.
Laid 15/30 eggs per fertile female. Let's take the maximum of 30.
Reproduction cycle 1st male egg 60 h, rest females every 30 h.
adult stadium. Male 6.5 days, female 6 days
Drone cell 14.5 days of pupation = 10 depositions. Three cycles of infestation. 5 fertile and 4 non-fertile females
Succession. 1-(5+1)-1*5+5*5-1*5+5*5+5*5-5*5+5*5+5*5-4*5*5-...- n*5*5.
Increase of 25 every 14.5 days.

Worker cell 12 days = 8 depositions. 4 cycles of infestation. 3 fertile and 3 non-fertile females.
Sequence 1-(1+3)-1*3+3*3-1*3+3*3+3*3-1*3+3*3+3*3+3*3-4*3*3 -5*3*3-....-n*3*3.
Increase of 9 every 12 days.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Varroa beads.

are those the things you get mail order from 'gentlemen's' catalogues?

 

[fian]

are those the things you get mail order from 'gentlemen's' catalogues?

They are transcription errors.
Varroa counts are better understood

 

[JohnRB]

That’s good to hear. Carnica have a bad reputation often dubbed swarmolians. It’s not true. They just need active management.

Totally agree

 

[Steve at Westerham Beeks]

Varroa beads.
Laid 15/30 eggs per fertile female. Let's take the maximum of 30.
Reproduction cycle 1st male egg 60 h, rest females every 30 h.
adult stadium. Male 6.5 days, female 6 days
Drone cell 14.5 days of pupation = 10 depositions. Three cycles of infestation. 5 fertile and 4 non-fertile females
Succession. 1-(5+1)-1*5+5*5-1*5+5*5+5*5-5*5+5*5+5*5-4*5*5-...- n*5*5.
Increase of 25 every 14.5 days.

Worker cell 12 days = 8 depositions. 4 cycles of infestation. 3 fertile and 3 non-fertile females.
Sequence 1-(1+3)-1*3+3*3-1*3+3*3+3*3-1*3+3*3+3*3+3*3-4*3*3 -5*3*3-....-n*3*3.
Increase of 9 every 12 days.

Are your calculations for varroa naïve bees?

 

[Steve at Westerham Beeks]

I didn't give them my main autumn treatment, but I did do the Christmas oxalic trickle. Drops are very low

1 for 3 years and one for 2 years. Treated only at Christmas with oxalic trickle as mentioned in my other reply (I monitor varroa very carefully) I grafted from both and requeened another 4 colonies - obviously locally mated. They still show hygienic behaviour, but I would like to refresh the genes with Paul's latest - but not sure he is still selling. Last time we spoke more than a year ago I got the impression he was moving into the instrumental insemination game. They are not only good for vsh, but also honey production, temperament and (all mine) have over wintered well

Thanks John

How are you monitoring the varroa numbers?

If you left the winter treatment, you'd learn a lot more about which colonies had the better "vsh" traits for breeding purposes

 

[Steve at Westerham Beeks]

I'm running a breeding program here in Vermont with the U of Vermont honey bee lab. Third season up coming. The selection criteria includes low Nosema load, no brood disease, low varroa population growth, frozen brood assay to identify highly hygienic colonies, and the new Unhealthy Brood Odor assay. UBO selects for unhealthy brood. Don't confuse UBO assay with Frozen Brood assay. FBA measures the bees' response to dead brood as a measure of hygienic level. UBO measures the uncapping response to unhealthy brood. Unhealthy brood is brood with high varroa population or high virus levels...not dead brood. UBO assay measures the uncapping response, indicating the VSH level of the colony. You can find videos online about UBO. Search for Keira Wagoner. Here is one video by her.

This is a photo of one colony's response to her UBO assay. Colonies that show high uncapping, >60% in two hours, are thought to be highly VSH. Much simpler assay than the traditional VSH assay of removing pupae and counting foundress varroa mites. Time will tell

Very hard to pin down the compounds from reproducing varroa - there seems to be a "laboratory race" to identify and replicate them in an easy to use form for beekeepers. Will be interesting to learn if the UBO is any more effective than a pin test. Please keep us posted on your progress - thank you

 

[fian]

Are your calculations for varroa naïve bees?

If you want to see it that way, yes, it is about seeing the maximum evolution in a colony without external sources (reinfestation by drone or by theft).
It also serves to determine if the colony can cope and to what degree it does.