What should we be doing to prepare for the inevitable varroa mite invasion?

[animal]

cool .. thank you, guys.

[Ben Framed]

It seems when discussing this subject in the past, it was noticed the more aggressive type bee shows more signs of varroa resistance than the bee we are accustomed to such as European bees. Russians come to mind as Mr Bush mentioned above. Russians are known for their aggressive behavior, but it is my understanding some are more aggressive or even gentler than others.

Africanized bees that won the reputation of being know as killer. One major deterrent of these bees is their 'not so gentle' nature and not as much a pleasure in handling that most beekeepers are use to working with. It seems I remember reading here in a discussion or somewhere else, of a 'well known couple' in Arizona who laid claim to such a bee for varroa resistance.

The following article may give hope toward a happier medium concerning aggressive bee behavior toward humans which is highly frowned upon by many.




"Nature Journal"
Perhaps the most dramatic observation was that some of the Africanized bees, after removing the mite, proceeded to bite it in two! These defensive measures against varroa mites are likely the reason why the Africanized bees of Puerto Rico (and, we could infer, elsewhere) have lower mite loads.Jun 17, 2013

Puerto Rico's Honey Bees take on the Varroa Mite - Naturehttps://www.nature.com ? blog ? bio2.0 ? test_207211
http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/bio2.0
Puerto Rico's Honey Bees take on the Varroa Mite - Nature

[NigelP]

From the various bits of research that I've read you can breed resistance bees under controlled matings  or II but the trait  doesn't get passed on to the next generation if allowed to open mate. I.E you we can buy  resistant  queens but her progeny are not resistant. Which to me is the key point, you need this to be an inherited dominant trait.
It's why I still treat.
Takes me about 2 minutes per hive once a year, one trip to add the strips and another to take them off.
Easy peasy.

[Ben Framed]

Here is more discussion of the 'gentled down' Africanized Bee of Puerto Rico

https://beemaster.com/forum/index.php?topic=51731.msg458821#msg458821

[Lesgold]

Hi Nigel,

You may be correct about what you are saying and that may be where we all head. I just have to give treatment free a run. If it works out, that would be great. If it doesn?t, I loose all my bees. For me, that?s not an issue as I don?t keep them for money, I keep bees for fun. Starting from scratch again doesn?t worry me. It?s about the journey and what happens along the way. Where I live, I don?t get a total brood break which is possibly going to be a bit of a challenge. I feel sorry for the people with big numbers of hives. They will be under a lot of pressure to get things right.