Bees kill Varroa mites - hygienic behavior - ResistantBees.com I have heard that knowledge is power.. so i spend lot of time looking up things I need to learn about, and came across this video...
It interested me because it put together several of the things I had been thinking as I watched other videos and read books and posts.. its an Austrian video translated, but its done well, and references both Dee and Michael.
In my reading and watching... I came across a site where the author explained that bees do NOT build small cell.. he PROVED this by giving his large cell bees a foundation-less frame and letting them build their own cells.. then he measured those cells which turned out to be around 5.1... which proved that small cell was completely false...
I referenced a few sites to him, and tried to explain what he did wrong in a single short Email.. He informed me if I contacted him again I would be speaking to the police for harassment... I hardly think one polite Email constitutes harassment.. but I desisted and left him alone... The point of the story is.. if you are that type of person, one who refuses to consider possibilities, then there is no point in you watching or replying. Please continue as you are.. If you are however, even slightly more open minded.. please watch, and let me know what you think.
Initially. I believed the reasons behind small cell was that there was not enough ROOM in the cell for the varoa, and that made no sense to me.. I finally figured out it had more to do with the TIME from laying to hatching being about a day shorter... But this is the first I have heard about hygenic behavior being attributed specifically to small cell..
I am interested in hearing your experiences or seeing more videos that get more involved..
Michael.. you were referenced as someone who TESTED this small cell hygenic behavior with normal bees..... is this on your site or in your book? I have not seen it but may have overlooked it.
I am using foundation-less, and rotating out the plastic on the few that still have it.. NOT because of any implied varoa bonus, but more along the lines of being CHEAP and not wanting to buy foundation, as well as the fact that it allows me to cut out comb honey, and queen cells. It allows me to rotate out the wax every three years by simply cutting out the frame and dropping it back into the box...
I will know more next year, as I intend to test all of the theories and methods apparently proven by others by checking my natural comb bees in comparison to those I have that are still on large cell plastic...
Please dont start ranting here. I would prefer a good argument, it teaches us all things, while someone standing on a pedestal yelling only drives everyone away.
Scott