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Adam Rose Silver Bee
Joined: 09 Oct 2011 Posts: 589 Location: Manchester, UK
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ingo50 Scout Bee
Joined: 30 May 2014 Posts: 311 Location: Newport, Gwent, Wales, UK
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2016 11:18 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for posting Adam, an interesting perspective from Rusty. Varroa is probably the straw that breaks the camels back. The problems bees face in the 21 century are multifactorial and mostly created by man. I believe a lot of colonies are stressed by hive designs with poor heat retention , weakening the resources leading to less time and energy spent on hive hygiene and housekeeping, less energy for foraging and propolis gathering, amongst many others. The agrochemical industry has also promoted Varroa as public enemy no 1, as this promotes a market for more treatments for bees. |
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Tavascarow Silver Bee

Joined: 24 Jun 2008 Posts: 962 Location: UK Cornwall Snozzle
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Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2016 10:03 pm Post subject: |
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I think the powers that be want us to be obsessed with varroa because it distracts from the wider problems.
Many natural beekeepers are proving that resistance to varroa is increasing.
Resistance to an increasingly toxic environment is not.
When a colony collapses few of us can afford a full post mortem.
It would be very interesting to know quantities & types of pesticides & other chemicals present.
Another affecting problem is rapidly changing climate.
Here we are seeing an increase in very mild winters & very wet summers. Neither good for bees, & another stresor that can prove fatal.
Varroa are like Syrian refugees. Easy to see, & easy to blame, but the truth is usually something completely different. |
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catchercradle Golden Bee

Joined: 31 May 2010 Posts: 1551 Location: Cambridge, UK
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Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2016 1:38 pm Post subject: |
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To expand the analogy, when the financial system favours the rich, this becomes more obvious when there is an influx of people who are by dint of having left everything behind poor.
In the same way, if our colonies are stressed by climate changes,pesticides and monocrop deserts then thew are much more likely to succumb to varroa who then get blamed. |
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Quality Top Bar Hives by Andrew Vidler
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Conserving wild bees
Research suggests that bumble bee boxes have a very low success rate in actually attracting bees into them. We find that if you create an environment where first of all you can attract mice inside, such as a pile of stones, a drystone wall, paving slabs with intentionally made cavities underneath, this will increase the success rate.
Most bumble bee species need a dry space about the size a football, with a narrow entrance tunnel approximately 2cm in diameter and 20 cm long. Most species nest underground along the base of a linear feature such as a hedge or wall. Sites need to be sheltered and out of direct sunlight.
There is a spectacular display of wild bee hotels here
More about bumblebees and solitary bees here
Information about the Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum)
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Barefoot Beekeeper Podcast
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View topic - Are we obsessed with Varroa Mites ? - Natural Beekeeping Network Forum
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