Bats and White Nose Syndrome. Dirty equipment from the EU brought over the fungus. I knew this the first time I saw a report; the bats that don't die will pass on their traits. That is exactly what has happened.
The only single trait beekeepers should covet is survival without intervention (specific to pest and viruses). This can be a painful and slow process but it is the only way to TRULY get the job done. TREAT your apiaries as if they are extensions of the local bee population. Save the bees from people by catching swarms and avoiding the biggest mite bombs of all - packages.
>suggest a billion dollar industry tied into a trillion dollar industry stops buying time for a real solution Boys, we got ourselves a winner. 😂 Grow up. The chems buy us time to find a real solution and you can buy varroa resistant queens. Or just use killer bees since they don't suffer the same problem as European bees.
K Plowman I have... I swear the secret is that their methods of "beekeeping" are as non-invasive as you can get. The build a metal base with a gap that's too small for the giant hornets to get in; because Apis Cerana are smaller than Apis Mellifera, and part of this may behave been an adaptation to living with the larger hornets and wasps. Anyway, they put these bases out in the woods or forest somewhere, they make boxes our of 2×10 that are about 12-14" square, they maybe put a couple wires wedged in every sexond or 3rd box to provide support to the comb... a couple times a year they jack it up, put 2 or 3 boxes on the bottom, cut 2 or 3 boxes off the time, put the lid back on. Very similar to a Warré hive. But you can't do that here in the states. The money makes the laws. Seriously. Watch some videos on "Pile Hives"... they don't even SEE the brood comb. And by the time they cut the top boxes off, the boxes are so cram packed full of honey and comb, that all the pheromones and fumes from the nectar and all that isn't venting right into atmosphere. It stays with the hive. Most of the videos I've seen, they don't even use a smoker most of the time, because their methods are so Unobtrusive... who needs it? There is also the fact that some sources claim the Apis Cerana were first exposed to varroa mites almost 300 years ago and reached a symbiotic homeostasis, ass well as having superior hygienic behaviors.
I often wonder how "wild" bees survive the mite problem. Seems to me that they would've became more resistant through the generations of having no treatments.
I am living uk. I have felt for sometime that varroa resistance exists in the wild in my area. Having got my 40 colonies down to very low varroa count and under control using oxalic in the main, only one sighting of DWV last year and then not a second. So this year ,2023 starting in May we have requeened many colonies from a queen selected for VR varroa resistance, strong through winter and early strong startup. It is easy to spot uncapping, then I check for cannibalisation, and now begin monitoring varroa boards for cannibalised body parts. I am no longer responsible for my bees being varroa free, but I am here to support. I can and will treat, maybe a half dose just to help them get back on top of there game, but not yet been necessary. But we will see in September. All my hives are 3 or 4 metres apart to reduce drifting. I have not witnessed bees cleaning each other but it is expected. All hives have underfloor entrances that thwart robbers. I continue to keep 40 plus colonies and this year expect to have a VR nuc apiary of 12 to 16 6 frame nucs to produce brood and new queens. I cannot imagine what it’s like to be prejudiced against by race or sex but telling people you have VR colonies, brings the worst in people. Yet scientists in UK believe that excluding commercial beekeepers then maybe 25 % of beekeepers are Working with VR colonies. In US a number of beekeepers via UA-cam channels have reported that they believe varroa resistance is in the wild. Those same scientists I just mentioned headed by Professor Stephan Martin, at Manchester university believe that bees are now adapting to fight varroa. As a beekeeper I believe we just need to look for uncapping. One last point. I certainly believe varroa is a colony issue not and apiary issue. I have noticed considerable uncapping even in colonies with new queens, clusters of uncapping as the worker bee (may not be more than one or 2 with the uncapping task and then only for short time as the bee moves onwards towards being a forager) searches just for the varroa infested cell. I am not a scientist, just a beekeeper , well researched and following a path but pragmatically. Hope this in some way helps and encourages.
Great video. It's a very complex problem, and I think we must do both. Fight the mites using chemicals short term while also introducing mite and disease resistant genetics, so that long term we can reduce human intervention. But let's be real. Honey bees today are a man-made construct designed to produce higher yields of honey than native bees, because of selective breeding over many generations of humans. I think the focus of environmentalists should be protecting native bees. The industry can focus on solving their own problems, like varoa mites.
I watched the interview with her, it's fascinating research and hope it will speed-up the breeding of hygenic bees from local stocks accross the world. On a personal note, I've become very interested in the role of octanoic on preventing varroa-mites from breeding in queen cells and wonder if this fatty acid which is virtually harmless to bees might be useful in battling varroa (for example by including it in pollen substitute or with an emulsifier such a lecithin in syrup)
A little late to the party, but.. I think minimum treatment using naturally occurring molecules and survivor stock would be a good option. I live in Quebec. Our agri system is highly treatment oriented. If you even suggest not treating, you get the hairy eyeball. I (and others) have been going the minimal treatment road. In my case, no artificial chemicals. I use oxalic acid, mostly. I was horrified by the effect tymol-based treatments had on bees and brood. (1 new nuc swarmed after I placed the treatment in the hive!) However, as we now have more access to VSH lines of bees, and other lineages that are "northern adapted", I can keep treatments down to a minimum. I'm aiming to have multiple VSH and Northern lineages in my apiary (which is on my family farm in the boondocks) as to, hopefully, get next generation queens that have better hygienic traits. I may be playing Dr. Frankenstein or Dr. Morreau here, but I think if we rely on chemicals too much, we'll cause a de-generation in honey bees and more treatment resistance in varroa.
I have noticed that swarming behavior is a natural method bees use to reduce mites (like Africanized hybrids). This creates a brood break, and varroa mite counts go down. In my opinion, the practice of preventing swarms contributes to high varroa mite counts-> treatment-->dependency--> weaker bee colonies, less equipped to deal with any kind of pests, including hive beetles, wax moths, etc. I let my bees swarm when they decide they need to, even if they have ample room for growth. Bees know best, they are 100 million to years old, after all. I also believe that CCD is due in no small part to moving bees from one pesticide, chemical fertilized agricultural patch to another, which stresses them in many ways. The last 40 years have seen exponential use of glyphosates and other chemical products on plants. This really can’t be overlooked, but rather, considered.
FormicPro and associated treatments "work". A light treatment and I had many queens leave. All hives weakened and some never recovered. I want good hygienic traits and talk to your local farmers about what pesticides they are using. Pesticides will weaken the hive and then grooming will become less of a priority and the hive will ultimately die trying to survive... Varroa mite. My opinion.
Hi Humberto my humble request to u pls make a detail video on Africanization of bees How it happened nd wht its effect on environment today and tomorrow
I have watched videos on how the genetics of the non Africans are actually beginning to calm them down, over time they are becoming less aggressive. We have to remember where and why they developed those aggressive traits in the first place and for what reasons.
Lmao africanized honey bees are the future of bees. You can't stop them, they are mite resistant, they don't suffer from any diseases European honey bees suffer from. Why? Because they just dgaf. They are the honey Badgers of the bee world.
I currently use oxalic acid mixed with vegetable glycerin on sponges. It’s a pretty effortless assist to the bees. It seems to be highly effective. In a perfect world I’d like bees to help handle mites on their own, but I know some many of my beekeeping peers that do no treatments. They all lose 50 to 60% of their hives every year,.
Is very difficult to make an opinion about that. I think that Varroa is a big treat to beekeepers but even bigger to Bees, and for that I think all research is welcome!
Chemicals against varroa is a good trainning for varroas to became strong. Survivals become resistent to many poisons. Like bacteria become resistent to antibiotics. Clairly long term need other aproches. A restart maybee,... is risky.
I think we need both. Ofcourse I will help my bees, if it is necessary. But in the heather each queen has to prove her worth. Only queens which resist varroa till late autum, I will breed with next season.
Africanized Honey Bees AKA killer bees have zero problems with Varroa. I mean imagine a large dungeness crab hanging off of you eating your fat reserves. That's the scope of it but our honey bees have been bred to be so stOopid that they don't have the necessary aggression to clean the mite off of them.
I have given up being a back yard beekeeper after three year’s experience simple because I had to move to a city and beekeeping with neighbour six feet away is unlikely. It really bothers me because I was a natural beekeeper.
Select breeding for VSH is interesting and hopeful. There are many people looking into this aspect, seeing the problem from different perspectives. Science and Beekeepers will find a way through this.
Hi Humberto, it has been a long time since we spoke on the phone. Hope you are well. I think you would really like to talk to a fellow beekeeper who lives not far from me in Tennessee. He does not treat his bees. He sells nucleus colonies. I purchased 6 of them about 7 years ago and still have 2 of the orginal nucs that are strong hives now. If you prefer, I can call you or text you his contact information.
Part of me feels using this type of method creates a false-positive in terms of selecting for 'inherit' traits. I enjoy the research and the tech towards the study, however I still favor the Harbo assay approach because it's a real-time look at what's occurring naturally without relying on derived intervention from enhanced chemicals made in a lab. Allowing environmental pressure to express the genetic attributes seems to be a much more worthwhile endeavor. Even if it takes a bit longer
@@InsideTheHiveTV many have already done the selecting for decades by not treating. Propagate survivor stock from them. Allow selection to do its job. You're putting the pollination, honey, and treatment industry first and the bees last. Why do survival rates need to be measured? With what other animal do we measure survival rates?
This is correct. The reason people are constantly over researching & interfering every step of the way is $$$. Human nature is suppose. I am amazed that the bees have managed to survive beekeepers these past 30 years!
I believe we should not be intervening in genetically altering any of god’s creations. I believe when profits outweighs practical and efficient practices we find ourselves at the root of the cause, usually! I used to buy and treat packages from other states that had different climate than mine but now I only catch wild native bees and hope and pray that their genetics will be capable to survive. I just try and keep them high and dry
I have been keeping bees for many years and I am also a local bee control officer, which means in the event of problems I go and control hives and test for illnesses. I have always come back to my own thoughts on raising bees. Locally raised bees are stronger and better adapted to their locality and in my opinion better able to fight illnesses and protect the hive. Bee colonies that are introduced from other regions, in my opinion are not adapted and take longer to adjust and are therefore prone to problems. The most important thing for me is to keep the hive strong, big colonies with healthy queens that have been raises from your own stock. I have never lost a hive to Varroa using these methods. Rather than genetically raising bees to fight varroa we should be doing more research into Varroa mite and how we can make them sterile.
all about money bunch of beekeprs in usa have mite resistent bees like myself bewaer bees from txt etc no tratment needed against all kind of bees illines
What do you think: should we continue to help honeybees as much as we can, or should we step back and let them figure things out on their own?
Bats and White Nose Syndrome. Dirty equipment from the EU brought over the fungus. I knew this the first time I saw a report; the bats that don't die will pass on their traits. That is exactly what has happened.
The only single trait beekeepers should covet is survival without intervention (specific to pest and viruses). This can be a painful and slow process but it is the only way to TRULY get the job done. TREAT your apiaries as if they are extensions of the local bee population. Save the bees from people by catching swarms and avoiding the biggest mite bombs of all - packages.
>suggest a billion dollar industry tied into a trillion dollar industry stops buying time for a real solution
Boys, we got ourselves a winner. 😂
Grow up. The chems buy us time to find a real solution and you can buy varroa resistant queens. Or just use killer bees since they don't suffer the same problem as European bees.
It’s my understanding that verroa mite evolved with Asian bees, has anyone looked into how those bees manage to live with the pest?
K Plowman I have... I swear the secret is that their methods of "beekeeping" are as non-invasive as you can get. The build a metal base with a gap that's too small for the giant hornets to get in; because Apis Cerana are smaller than Apis Mellifera, and part of this may behave been an adaptation to living with the larger hornets and wasps. Anyway, they put these bases out in the woods or forest somewhere, they make boxes our of 2×10 that are about 12-14" square, they maybe put a couple wires wedged in every sexond or 3rd box to provide support to the comb... a couple times a year they jack it up, put 2 or 3 boxes on the bottom, cut 2 or 3 boxes off the time, put the lid back on. Very similar to a Warré hive. But you can't do that here in the states. The money makes the laws.
Seriously. Watch some videos on "Pile Hives"... they don't even SEE the brood comb. And by the time they cut the top boxes off, the boxes are so cram packed full of honey and comb, that all the pheromones and fumes from the nectar and all that isn't venting right into atmosphere. It stays with the hive. Most of the videos I've seen, they don't even use a smoker most of the time, because their methods are so Unobtrusive... who needs it?
There is also the fact that some sources claim the Apis Cerana were first exposed to varroa mites almost 300 years ago and reached a symbiotic homeostasis, ass well as having superior hygienic behaviors.
I often wonder how "wild" bees survive the mite problem. Seems to me that they would've became more resistant through the generations of having no treatments.
Amazing research. How we can improve the bees immune systems naturally would also be another area. Well done Dr Laura Wagoner!
Great video!
I am living uk. I have felt for sometime that varroa resistance exists in the wild in my area. Having got my 40 colonies down to very low varroa count and under control using oxalic in the main, only one sighting of DWV last year and then not a second. So this year ,2023 starting in May we have requeened many colonies from a queen selected for VR varroa resistance, strong through winter and early strong startup. It is easy to spot uncapping, then I check for cannibalisation, and now begin monitoring varroa boards for cannibalised body parts. I am no longer responsible for my bees being varroa free, but I am here to support. I can and will treat, maybe a half dose just to help them get back on top of there game, but not yet been necessary. But we will see in September. All my hives are 3 or 4 metres apart to reduce drifting. I have not witnessed bees cleaning each other but it is expected. All hives have underfloor entrances that thwart robbers.
I continue to keep 40 plus colonies and this year expect to have a VR nuc apiary of 12 to 16 6 frame nucs to produce brood and new queens. I cannot imagine what it’s like to be prejudiced against by race or sex but telling people you have VR colonies, brings the worst in people. Yet scientists in UK believe that excluding commercial beekeepers then maybe 25 % of beekeepers are Working with VR colonies. In US a number of beekeepers via UA-cam channels have reported that they believe varroa resistance is in the wild. Those same scientists I just mentioned headed by Professor Stephan Martin, at Manchester university believe that bees are now adapting to fight varroa. As a beekeeper I believe we just need to look for uncapping.
One last point. I certainly believe varroa is a colony issue not and apiary issue. I have noticed considerable uncapping even in colonies with new queens, clusters of uncapping as the worker bee (may not be more than one or 2 with the uncapping task and then only for short time as the bee moves onwards towards being a forager) searches just for the varroa infested cell.
I am not a scientist, just a beekeeper , well researched and following a path but pragmatically.
Hope this in some way helps and encourages.
When Mike stuck his tongue out I lost it
The new test can be a very useful tool for beekeepers.👍Every beekeeper should keep their bees how they choose.😁Ty for some good information.
Great video. It's a very complex problem, and I think we must do both. Fight the mites using chemicals short term while also introducing mite and disease resistant genetics, so that long term we can reduce human intervention.
But let's be real. Honey bees today are a man-made construct designed to produce higher yields of honey than native bees, because of selective breeding over many generations of humans. I think the focus of environmentalists should be protecting native bees. The industry can focus on solving their own problems, like varoa mites.
I watched the interview with her, it's fascinating research and hope it will speed-up the breeding of hygenic bees from local stocks accross the world.
On a personal note, I've become very interested in the role of octanoic on preventing varroa-mites from breeding in queen cells and wonder if this fatty acid which is virtually harmless to bees might be useful in battling varroa (for example by including it in pollen substitute or with an emulsifier such a lecithin in syrup)
That is interesting subject for videos. Thanks
A little late to the party, but.. I think minimum treatment using naturally occurring molecules and survivor stock would be a good option.
I live in Quebec. Our agri system is highly treatment oriented. If you even suggest not treating, you get the hairy eyeball. I (and others) have been going the minimal treatment road. In my case, no artificial chemicals. I use oxalic acid, mostly. I was horrified by the effect tymol-based treatments had on bees and brood. (1 new nuc swarmed after I placed the treatment in the hive!) However, as we now have more access to VSH lines of bees, and other lineages that are "northern adapted", I can keep treatments down to a minimum.
I'm aiming to have multiple VSH and Northern lineages in my apiary (which is on my family farm in the boondocks) as to, hopefully, get next generation queens that have better hygienic traits. I may be playing Dr. Frankenstein or Dr. Morreau here, but I think if we rely on chemicals too much, we'll cause a de-generation in honey bees and more treatment resistance in varroa.
I have noticed that swarming behavior is a natural method bees use to reduce mites (like Africanized hybrids). This creates a brood break, and varroa mite counts go down. In my opinion, the practice of preventing swarms contributes to high varroa mite counts-> treatment-->dependency--> weaker bee colonies, less equipped to deal with any kind of pests, including hive beetles, wax moths, etc. I let my bees swarm when they decide they need to, even if they have ample room for growth. Bees know best, they are 100 million to years old, after all. I also believe that CCD is due in no small part to moving bees from one pesticide, chemical fertilized agricultural patch to another, which stresses them in many ways. The last 40 years have seen exponential use of glyphosates and other chemical products on plants. This really can’t be overlooked, but rather, considered.
Let the bees figure it out and breed them for helping themselves. No chemical treatment is best
FormicPro and associated treatments "work". A light treatment and I had many queens leave. All hives weakened and some never recovered. I want good hygienic traits and talk to your local farmers about what pesticides they are using. Pesticides will weaken the hive and then grooming will become less of a priority and the hive will ultimately die trying to survive... Varroa mite. My opinion.
Hi Humberto my humble request to u pls make a detail video on Africanization of bees How it happened nd wht its effect on environment today and tomorrow
I have watched videos on how the genetics of the non Africans are actually beginning to calm them down, over time they are becoming less aggressive. We have to remember where and why they developed those aggressive traits in the first place and for what reasons.
It is coming. I am also working on an online course about Africanized bees. Stay tunned.
@@InsideTheHiveTV Thanks keep doing ur work nd we r waiting for it:)
Lmao africanized honey bees are the future of bees. You can't stop them, they are mite resistant, they don't suffer from any diseases European honey bees suffer from. Why? Because they just dgaf. They are the honey Badgers of the bee world.
I currently use oxalic acid mixed with vegetable glycerin on sponges. It’s a pretty effortless assist to the bees. It seems to be highly effective. In a perfect world I’d like bees to help handle mites on their own, but I know some many of my beekeeping peers that do no treatments. They all lose 50 to 60% of their hives every year,.
Sounds like bullshit
Is very difficult to make an opinion about that. I think that Varroa is a big treat to beekeepers but even bigger to Bees, and for that I think all research is welcome!
Chemicals against varroa is a good trainning for varroas to became strong. Survivals become resistent to many poisons. Like bacteria become resistent to antibiotics. Clairly long term need other aproches. A restart maybee,... is risky.
I believe Cory Stevens is also testing with the UBeeO assay as well.
I think I remember seeing a video from him on it.
I believe so.
I think we need both. Ofcourse I will help my bees, if it is necessary. But in the heather each queen has to prove her worth. Only queens which resist varroa till late autum, I will breed with next season.
Africanized Honey Bees AKA killer bees have zero problems with Varroa.
I mean imagine a large dungeness crab hanging off of you eating your fat reserves. That's the scope of it but our honey bees have been bred to be so stOopid that they don't have the necessary aggression to clean the mite off of them.
I have given up being a back yard beekeeper after three year’s experience simple because I had to move to a city and beekeeping with neighbour six feet away is unlikely. It really bothers me because I was a natural beekeeper.
You can't be "Treatment Free" if you treat when varroa gets too high to continue your TF supposedly yard.
Select breeding for VSH is interesting and hopeful. There are many people looking into this aspect, seeing the problem from different perspectives. Science and Beekeepers will find a way through this.
Hi Humberto, it has been a long time since we spoke on the phone. Hope you are well. I think you would really like to talk to a fellow beekeeper who lives not far from me in Tennessee. He does not treat his bees. He sells nucleus colonies. I purchased 6 of them about 7 years ago and still have 2 of the orginal nucs that are strong hives now. If you prefer, I can call you or text you his contact information.
Part of me feels using this type of method creates a false-positive in terms of selecting for 'inherit' traits. I enjoy the research and the tech towards the study, however I still favor the Harbo assay approach because it's a real-time look at what's occurring naturally without relying on derived intervention from enhanced chemicals made in a lab. Allowing environmental pressure to express the genetic attributes seems to be a much more worthwhile endeavor. Even if it takes a bit longer
Came so close again , just to say these hyper-managing selectors would do better than actual selection for survival without inputs.
What would be ideal to you? Local selection without any special purpose behind it. Just measurring survival rates? Thanks
@@InsideTheHiveTV many have already done the selecting for decades by not treating. Propagate survivor stock from them. Allow selection to do its job. You're putting the pollination, honey, and treatment industry first and the bees last. Why do survival rates need to be measured? With what other animal do we measure survival rates?
This is correct. The reason people are constantly over researching & interfering every step of the way is $$$. Human nature is suppose. I am amazed that the bees have managed to survive beekeepers these past 30 years!
Why do you mask the honey bee?
That is old animation that does not make sense anymore. I need to update my stuff.
I was wondering the same thing..
I am afraid Thomas Seeley is way ahead of you as for as letting the bees do it on their own.
I believe we should not be intervening in genetically altering any of god’s creations. I believe when profits outweighs practical and efficient practices we find ourselves at the root of the cause, usually! I used to buy and treat packages from other states that had different climate than mine but now I only catch wild native bees and hope and pray that their genetics will be capable to survive. I just try and keep them high and dry
I have been keeping bees for many years and I am also a local bee control officer, which means in the event of problems I go and control hives and test for illnesses.
I have always come back to my own thoughts on raising bees. Locally raised bees are stronger and better adapted to their locality and in my opinion better able to fight illnesses and protect the hive. Bee colonies that are introduced from other regions, in my opinion are not adapted and take longer to adjust and are therefore prone to problems.
The most important thing for me is to keep the hive strong, big colonies with healthy queens that have been raises from your own stock.
I have never lost a hive to Varroa using these methods.
Rather than genetically raising bees to fight varroa we should be doing more research into Varroa mite and how we can make them sterile.
Science like the jab. No thanks
all about money bunch of beekeprs in usa have mite resistent bees like myself bewaer bees from txt etc no tratment needed against all kind of bees illines