Hot off the press, here is the synopsis for Dr. John Harbo's presentation:
Based on what is now known about resistance to varroa, John will present what he has found to be a practical approach to selective breeding for varroa sensitive hygiene (VSH) when one does not have the resources of a research lab. He will describe what is necessary and what can be omitted; why he don’t measure mites on adult bees, don’t remove drone brood, and don’t actively select for more than one trait. He will explain heritability and why it is important to use proven methods to measure a trait. Although artificial insemination is a valuable tool in bee breeding, He will discuss how selection can include the significant power that nature provides in the free-mating competition among drones.
Based on what is now known about resistance to varroa, John will present what he has found to be a practical approach to selective breeding for varroa sensitive hygiene (VSH) when one does not have the resources of a research lab. He will describe what is necessary and what can be omitted; why he don’t measure mites on adult bees, don’t remove drone brood, and don’t actively select for more than one trait. He will explain heritability and why it is important to use proven methods to measure a trait. Although artificial insemination is a valuable tool in bee breeding, He will discuss how selection can include the significant power that nature provides in the free-mating competition among drones.
