Posts by Nick Mawby
Breeding Varroa Resistant Bees
Once a sustainable varroa resistant apiary is established, new queens and colonies can be raised quickly.
The varroaresistant.uk team has identified a strong heritability of varroa resistant traits through queen lines
Starting on Your Varroa Resistance Journey
Some treated colonies would be able to manage varroa themselves but their varroa resistant traits are bring supressed as the treatments supress the varroa for them. But the majority will be mite susceptible colonies that would perish without the treatments.
Read MoreIdentifying Varroa Resistant Bees
The key observations in a varroa resistant colony are uncapping of worker brood, chewing out of infected pupae resulting in pupal exoskeletons on varroa insert boards, resulting in low mite counts as the breeding cycles of the mites are interrupted.
Read MoreSICAMM
SICAMM
an International Federation whose primary aims are the conservation, protection and promotion of the European Dark Bee
Read MoreMike Andrews
Tropilaelaps
MAGGIE GILL
In areas where both Tropilaelaps and Varroa are present it has been reported that Tropilaelaps are a far more damaging pest than Varroa.
Both Varroa and Tropilaelaps have been shown to vector viruses when they feed and in one study 100% of Tropilaelaps mites examined harboured deformed wing virus (DWV) compared to only 81.8% of Varroa.
European Beekeeping Association (EBA)
Membership is open to national BKAs and any organisation that represents beekeepers and works in the interests of bees, beekeeping and consumers.
Read MoreCode of Conduct
Varroa Resistance through Bee Improvement
On 15th February 2025 BIBBA held a conference which recruited the leading experts, both scientific and practical, in varroa resistance
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