A.m. subspecies and varroa

[Clark23]

Does anyone have any knowledge or experience of varroa being attracted to some A.m. subspecies than others?

[gavin]

Do you mean able to multiply or actually attracted to? Varroa don't usually get much of a say in the matter, and they will thrive on any race in the UK.

I've had an Amm-leaning mongrel colony of my own cope with Varroa to some extent, and someone who sometimes reads this forum but seldom posts has stocks of bees that have not been treated for Varroa for perhaps 5 years. These partially resistant bees were a mix of Amm and Buckfast - the Buckfast (like some other highly bred types) were very hygienic (they cleared out infested brood) but the Amm types seemed better at actually physically removing and damaging mites. Studies elsewhere (eg Cornwall) show both these traits in Amm bees.

If we as a community of beekeepers could lay aside wild goose chases such as trying to find pesticide effects that are unlikely to exist, and instead put our efforts to real problems that beekeepers could solve such as this one, then beekeeping in Scotland could make some real strides forward.

Gavin

[Neils]

I was under the impression, but don't have links to hand that varroa was much less of a problem to African(ised) honeybees.

I know it's kind of drifting sideways a little but I've been wondering recently whether were perhaps, as Beekeepers, approxhung this from the wrong direction.

It seems to me that currently varroa Destructor isn't that great as a parasite given that for the mist part it ultimately kills its host.

Much has been made of varroa tolerant bees, but has there been any study into bee tolerant varroa? Ie might we be seeing in some places that claim bees that can cope with varroa little pockets of varroa that are less prone to overwhelming their host?