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Post by LaurieB on Oct 5, 2004 21:30:32 GMT -7
I found out about a wild honey bee hive that has been in the same tree for at least 14 years now. In such a hive, is there a likelihood that there is a higher than average resistance to mites and disease, and if so, would that be a good hive to try to breed queens to?
What is the potential with such wild hives and does anybody put in any effort in researching that?
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Post by Thom on Oct 6, 2004 8:28:19 GMT -7
I believe that Dr. Burgett was doing some research on that subject. However it may be hard to tell if that colony has been active over that span of years. I have a friend who keeps an empty hive in an open wood shed. He opens the hive in the winter and all the bees are dead, so he removes the dead bees and takes the honey. Then a swarm comes by and reoccupies the hive in the spring. This has been going on for several years now. So it is possible that this tree has the smell of wax and honey that attracts a new swarm every year.
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Post by Todd Balsiger on Oct 6, 2004 11:34:23 GMT -7
Thom is right about this. Hopefully -- someday -- a feral hive will survive on its own. It will happen someday. But then we'd loose are great pollination revenue boon. I'm personally ready for resistance, bee survival without coumophous or fluvalvinate.
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