Subject: Re: Aggressive island bees

From: [email-masked] (Andy Nachbaur)
Date: Sat, 15 Jun 1996 00:48:00 GMT

*FYI follow up post..
                    ----------------------------------------
 >Date: Fri, 14 Jun 96 09:06:51 PDT
 >Subject: Re: Aggressive island bees

W>   We covered this topic in an abstract in last December's issue of the
 >AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL (p. 831).  That abstract was as follows:

Hi Adrian, thanks for the info.

W>   To retain control of the system rather than wait for colony decimation,
 >in mid-winter of 1993-1994 we distributed 90 varroa mites on the eastern

W>   In the 20 months after mite dispersal, only two of the 78 pre-1995 feral
 >colonies had perished (of unknown causes but in inaccessible locations).
 >Monthly checks of the two Langstroth colonies indicate that varroa mites

W>**********

W>   We had hoped that a colony or two would survive and could serve as
 >breeding stock, but results from the last two trips indicate such a
 >possibility is remote.

Very sad, just the removals of the bees alone is enough to make me sad.

W>   On the other hand, we seem to have the first documentation about the
 >time it takes for a whole population of feral colones to go under to the
 >mite onslaught.

Much faster then others have reported. Makes me wonder if the type of
bee forage season is not an important factor. It really is too bad
that an area like this is gone for the much needed study of closed
populations of feral honeybees. I am sure there are other areas but
don't know of any in California. I guess someone could stock one of
the other islands that you have not found any honeybees on if they
were big enough to support them.

I wonder about the scientific ethics of this kind of research it seems
to me that honey bees in general are having a very difficult time in
the wild if you want to believe all the reports that have been made by
beekeepers and others.

Not to fault you in anyway, but thinking of something I know about a
honey plant considered a bad pest that ranchers have been fighting for
100+ years that extends from Texas to California and south to Argentina,
but at the same time is THE major honey plant for beekeepers in the same
area. Should I release this information on a biological agent to control
this plant and see the elimination of the bee forage plant making the
range management people happy or take it to the grave knowing that in
time some other observant person will make a name in reporting what I
may have seen first?
                          ttul Andy-
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