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From: Erik Osterlund <honeybee@elgon.se>
Date: Sat, 6 Oct 2001 09:50:14 +0200
To: BiologicalBeekeeping@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: Wintering Notes
Hi Dennis
Well, now I know why this word
is common sometimes. I have seen it used
more and more among scientists....
I myself havn't the mite yet
(I think/hope, 50 miles away officially), but
my many friends around Sweden and down Europe have of course.
I don't think
they have looked for bite marks. I'll tell them to do so. But
they have
made other observations on small bees/cellsize 5.1 (which is
the first step
down for them). Small bees and 5.1 seem to keep the mites under
control. In
untreated colonies for some years the amount of mites decreases
with no
other treatment than shifting queens to small size stock and
5.1 cell size.
Maybe that's enough at our latitude. But 4.8 does well in my
operation as
well, so we'll see where we'll land at the end. One beekeeper
told me he
shifted queens last autumn in an apiary (with about 15 colonies)
where
fallen mites formed a layer on a varroa collector after winter
feeding and
mites were quite easy spotted on the bees. He did no treating
but shift
queens then, to small size stock. This year he built them down
to 5.1 cell
size entirely. During winterfeeding in late summer this year
he collected
mites (tried to) during one week in this same apiary. In one
colony not a
single mite appeared. He did it for another month and come up
with 36 mites
in this good one colony. And another thing, he has never went
into winter
with such strong colonies as this year (with small cell size
combs in
them). Then this story is an anecdote? But still true, as I fully
trust the
source. Even producing drones purposely seem to not change the
picture
dramatically, as another beekeeper has done this in similar conditions.
Yes Dennis, I'm confident now,
the mites are on the retreat!
Erik
>In America
we use the term anecdotal in a slightly different way more in
>line with its Greek roots. It is usually used to mean a "short
narrative
>of an interesting, amusing or biographical nature".
I know words are use
>often with much difference in different cultures. Thanks
for the note. I
>now know to be more careful.
>
>Have you seen more mites with bite marks on your small cell
bees?
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