This apiarist tells me hw has had no honey from his bees now for 12 months - he
didn't go into details & I wouldn't ask him since I know nothing & he is the
expert ... & said it was due to the weather and said he is having to feed him
for the first time
Jane
Very interesting post. Apparently Australia is pretty much the last
"clean" country, but they reckon it's only a matter of time before the mite
shows up. This was on TV recently.
Which mite, the varroa or tracheal? Anyway, the mite is of no consequence,
as long as one has bees acclimated to the local area, naturally sized, and with
a good genetic makeup. There are several apiaries around here, and the ones
that do this have 0 losses to the varroa, and mine which is the same I never
saw one single mite all year. I do no treatment all at all, not even a
powdered sugar shake.
The others, that have oversized bees, and treat with mitacides had about a
40% loss last year.
If you want bees that don't require treatment and are not bothered by mites
at all, then let them build their natural sized comb (or use 4.9 foundation),
and get them from a local treatment free apiary, or better yet, set out swarm
traps and catch a free feral swarm. Make sure that the combs have never been
in a hive that has had mite treatments, the treatments weaken the bees, cause
the queens to fail, strengthen the mites, and lead to CCD, and can contaminate
the comb for decades.
