From: Dave Cushman <dave.cushman@lineone.net>
Date: Tue Dec 19, 2000 2:50pm
Subject: Re: girls on small cells, regressing bees

Hi Dee

I am not suggesting that we overmanage our bees.

I am not trying to put together a "Frankenstein's Monster" by making
selections and then breeding from the survivers.

I have to dissagree on nature breeding as a "whole bee" it is in fact minor
changes over many generations that enable survivership.

I expect to changeover my entire stock of mating nucs to 4.9 cellsize in one
season...at least that is my aim...whether I achieve it or not is more to do
with how much damage the local vandals do.

My queen rearing cannot be achieved without the feeding of honey and pollen
(which I trap from fullsize colonies). In our local conditions, deliberate
queen and drone raising has to be concentrated early and late in the season
to avoid the italianised drones (which prefer the warmer weather).

Perhaps my techniques are not "Fully Biological" by your criteria. Only when
I have a large enough pool of genetic material that has significant, proven
survivability, will I feel justified in withdrawing all of the "crutches"
that you mention.

I have regularly outcrossed my bees.

My breeding timing is critacal to maintain strain in an area polluted by
many "mongrel" bees.

I am not trying to "save" a particular bee but merely select those
components of its nature that have good historical documentation.

I am strongly in favour of 4.9 mm cells as I believe that was the norm
around 1880.

It has taken me many years to get as far as I have...weaknesses can (and
should) be weeded out
but I will not risk undoing what I have so far achieved just because I have
not yet got a bee that can totally survive the onslaught of pests and
diseases unaided.

> Why do you like saving fragments, especially unrecognized ones? You sound
> like a person that likes to save everything, in case you may need it
> someday.

That is the right! In case I may need it someday.

> Is this a sound practice in light of today's bee's problems.

I believe so...We must maintain the genetic diversity to enable
selection...wether this selection is "manual" or "automatic" makes little
difference if a gene has been "lost" it cannot help in any future
re-selection.

> Why play at it unless one wants to. But this is not sound economics for our
> industry to follow.

It may not be right for the USA, but I am happy to follow my course here in
UK with the bees and conditions I know.

I am merely trying to re-assemble a bee type that has become diluted over a
period of a century or so. This should not be considered meddling with
nature. Indeed I seek to correct much meddling that has occurred in the
past.

I have respect for your achievements and your dedication to your ideals. I
can see most of the reasoning behind your statements.

I have to pursue what I think I can make work, I do not have time or
resources to follow several different avenues at once.

I consider my methods to be more biologically friendly than most in the UK
but I do not subscribe fully to you high ideals. I do not think it would be
healthy for all of us to have identical goals and opinions. The differences
between us are very small, we are both pulling in the same general
direction.

Regards From:- Dave Cushman, G8MZY
Beekeeping and Bee Breeding, website
http://website.lineone.net/~dave.cushman