Scorpions control varroa

[Calum]

Read a seriously interesting article about researchers work with the"pseudo scorpion" that used to be common in hives. They eat wax moth larve and varroa. Due to new hive design and use of acid varroa treatments hives are no longer habitable for them.. Researchers have good evidence that once this symbiosis is re established colonies can survive without treatment.. From the bayrische bee journal. I'll try to send more links...http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudoscorpion..

[Jon]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkdrRuWmbm4

I presume this is the fellow in question.

[Rosie]

This is brilliant Jon - thanks. I wonder though, if these things were in hives before varroa arrived, how did the varroa get such a strong footing the in first place? Thank you Calum too.

[wee willy]

Good point
Vm


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[Calum]

Hi
I though about that too, possibly the modern hive design (hive walls not having holes for them to live in)?
Other medical treatments used to kill off the hive beatle (or other disease that preceded varroa) also killing these off too?

The great hope would be, that with these beasties, and bees that are bred to clear out cells with varroa mites, that the varroa could be kept under control..
It would mean having to go cold turkey on all other chemical treatments though- so I would not switch all my hives at once.

According to the article these book scorpions are easy enough to keep & breed, just hard to find, and take 2 years to reach maturity....
As the article points out, our current methods of chemical treatment and drone brood removal are just unnaturally selecting more resisitant varroa that prefer to breed more in bee brood than drone brood, so we are on a one way street to nowwhere long term with current control methods.

[wee willy]

I kept bees for a few years before the advent of varroa , hive beetle hadn't reached the chatting stage in UK beekeeping ! Maybe the pseudo scorpion is far less bee transportable than varroa leading to varroa getting a head start when it comes to globe hopping ?
WW


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