“Mite Tolerance in Honey
Bees: Breeding Bees for the Small Beekeeper”
Bee Culture (May 2006), Vol. 134 (5):
17-19
By
http://apis.shorturl.com
In the March 2006 Bee Culture, Willard Phipps of South Bend, IN asks whether it’s
possible for the small beekeeper to breed a strain of bees tolerant or immune
to mites. The short answer is yes. The technology to do it, however, may vary,
and can be time-consuming, expensive and difficult. Two sources of mite tolerance come to
mind. Survivor feral bees that have
existed in the wild for several seasons and imported honey bees selected for
survival (see the October 2004 Bee
Culture).
The Russian bees fall into the latter category
and appear to have the most published evidence reflective of success. The history of the stock is well documented::
According
to Glenn Apiaries Web Site1, which offers pure
Russian stock: “In 1905 the
trans-Siberian railroad was completed, opening eastern
“The
Asian honey bee and Varroa mites have co-evolved into
a balanced host/parasite relationship without much harm being done. Varroa only reproduces on drone pupae in these bees, and
drones are only available part of the year, so high populations of mites never
build up.
“When the European bees encountered Varroa, things were different. Varroa is able to reproduce on worker pupae which allows extremely high numbers of mites to build up. This high infestation eventually kills the colony.
“Feral bees or bees managed without miticides have intense natural selection pressure, allowing only the most mite resistant colonies to survive. There are at least four resistance mechanisms that scientists have identified. They include, bees grooming mites off themselves and each other, hygienic behavior of removing infested pupae, acceleration of brood development, and suppression of mite reproduction. The ultimate goal of bee breeders is to produce bees with all these traits in a single stock of bees.
“It's
hoped that the Russian bees will provide resistant genes that will let us take
a giant step forward in the breeding effort. An earlier USDA introduction of
bees from
“Every
beekeeper can help in the effort by using some of these Russian bees in their
hives. Drones are produced from the queen's unfertilized eggs, so all drones
from the Russian queens will be 100% Russian. This fact will greatly help in
the spreading of the resistant genes, as drones fly for miles in search of
queens to mate. If all goes well we may see the emergence of Varroa resistant bees across the country.
“The
USDA scientists, led by Dr. Thomas Rinderer, have
done their part, now it's up to breeders and beekeepers to do their part in
distributing these resistant bees. It may be our best option for getting off
the chemical treadmill.”
Clearly,
the above statement exhorts the small beekeeper to get involved at least on a
rudimentary level. In a recent review of
the Russian introduction program it was concluded: “One of the key points is
that it's public stock. So it's something that anyone can easily work into
their own program.”2
A
comprehensive program to look at for guidance is the one in
Mr.
Petit lists the objectives of his project to be:
1. Utilize genetic material
acquired through natural selection for resistance to Varroa
found in
2. Continue the selection
needed to bring this stock to acceptable level of productivity.
3. Distribute the stock to
beekeepers and breeders across
4. Provide a long-term solution
to the invasion of Varroa mites in honeybee
populations across
The
work started in 2000, when stock was first imported by the
2001
- Drone colonies established. Eggs from
isolated breeder colonies used to produce open-mated queens and pure Russian
drones.
2002
- Third importation. Most production
colonies requeened with pure Russians.
2003
- Four-frame
nuclei (headed by queens that are both open and closed mated) sold to
beekeeping public. Another importation;
eleven lines established. Testing begins
on stock raised in 2002 with hygienic and quick test.
2004
- Only in this year could data from 2002 and 2003 be analyzed. Distributed open mated queens and nuclei
across
Another
importation occurred and the 24-hour mite drop test was initiated.
2005
- Encouraging signs seen in wintering, vigor and strength. Best honey crop since year 2003.
Casual
observation heard on the street from beekeepers using Russian bees in the
This
is a chicken or egg sydrome; to show more honey
production, while at the same time ensuring bees are tolerant to diseases and
pests is a continuing challenge. Clearly
most programs have opted for Mr. Petit’s strategy:
tolerance first; production later. This
is where the small beekeeper has more “wiggle room” because his or her income
is not solely tied to bee colonies.
The
tests employed by Mr. Petit deserve attention:
1. Hygienic test: Measuring how well colonies detect, open and
uncap larvae affected by brood diseases (American foulbrood) or Varroa
. A full description of this technique
is available through the USDA’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education
(SARE) program.4
2. Quick test for tracheal
mites (Acarapis woodi): Introducing newly emerged worker bees (not
infected with honey bee tracheal mite) into infested colonies and a week later
examining how infested these bees become.
This is used in the
3. 24-Hour mite drop: Counting the number of Varroa
falling off a cluster of bees over a 2- to 3-day period. A description of this test has been published
by
There’s little question the Russian stock is hygienic
according to Mr. Petit. The quick test
did not show as strong a result for the Russians when compared to other
Meanwhile
in the United States Russian bees continue to be available from a number of
sources. Those interested in this
project have a good deal of documentation available to them on the World Wide
Web. Besides the
1995
- First trip to
1997
- First importation of queens from
1999
- Six selected Russian lines from the long term resistance test are propagated.
2002
- Test yards set up with cooperators in
2005
- Beginning of Phase III of project; Lines selected for release in 2006 are
05A-618:
White/Orange 05A-663: White/DkBlue.
2006 - Breeders will be selected in the fall for release in
the spring of 2007 for Block “B”. Block
“C” cooperators will be selected next year.
According
to the USDA, “The
scope of the Russian honey bee trials is large, involving several cooperators.
There are two reasons for needing these cooperators. First, the trials require
more honey bee colonies than the laboratory can possibly maintain on its own.
Each year the tests require more than 500 colonies of honey bees. Second, in
order to produce a stock of commercially valuable honey bees, tests need to be
conducted in several different beekeeping environments so that lines selected
for inclusion in the program are known to have value in more than one
location.”
Cooperators
include Manley Bigalk, Golden Ridge Honey Farm,
Russian
bees are not the only game in town that the smaller beekeeper can take
advantage of to begin a breeding effort.
An almost bewildering variety of stock is also touted in the bee press,
such as New World Carniolan® (see the January 2003 Bee Culture), SMR, Minnesota Hygienics, and other selected survivor stock, advertised as
not treated for Varroa. Those contemplating using stock should ask
for documentation (data) that corroborates the claims. Survivor stock from untreated apiaries in
localized areas may also provide good possibilities for breeding efforts.
To
repeat what was earlier stated, it is possible for the small beekeeper to take
on a program of breeding mite-tolerant bees.
This situation reminds me of educational programs that seek to make the
average investor a trader in his own securities, including mutual funds, bonds,
stocks and most risky, stock options, currency and futures. The successful stock and options trader must
have a trading program consisting of entry and exit strategies, and be able to
employ a number of tools from charting to using computational skills to ensure
that trades have the most potential for success.
It
is hoped that this article will provide the fledgling small bee breeder with
some of the options that are currently available in terms of obtaining stock
for a breeding program.. In addition, tests have been described, which
are currently in use to determine if a breeding program is achieving some
manner of success.
References:
1. Glenn Apiaries,
2. "Russian Honey Bee
Earning Its Stripes," October 2001
issue of Agricultural Research <http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/oct01/bee1001.htm>,
accessed March 9, 2006.
3. Petit, F. 2006.
“Russian Bee Project: Results are
Promising,” HiveLights, Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 15, 20,
24, published by the Canadian Honey Council <http://www.honeycouncil/ca>, accessed
March 9, 2006. One can contact Mr. Petit
by e-mail <pilgrimventures@cnwl.igs.net>
or on the Web <http://www.igs.net/~pilgrimventures/>,
accessed March 10, 2006.
4. USDA Sustainable Agriculture
Research an Education Program <http://www.sare.org/publications/factsheet/0305_02.htm>,
accessed March 10, 2006
5. Ontario Bee Breeding Model
<http://www.ontariobee.com/6_queen_nuc/ontario_bee_breeding_model.htm>,
accessed March 10, 2006.
6. United Kingdom Central
Science Library <http://www.csl.gov.uk/science/organ/environ/bee/diseases/varroa/monitoringvarroa.cfm>,
accessed March 10, 2006.
7. Russian Queen Project
Chronology <http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=6444>,
accessed March 10, 2006.
8. Cooperators in the Russian
Queen Project <http://www.ars.usda.gov/Business/docs.htm?docid=4083>,
accessed March 10, 2006.
9. <http://russianbreeder.com/index.html>,
accessed March 10, 2006.