Does anyone know if the 'Africanized Honey Bee', also known as the "Killer Bee", fares any better than the 'European Honey Bee' in resistance to Small Hive Beetles 'and, 'or', Varroa Destructor? Thanks!
Phillip
No personal first hand knowledge with AHB together with the named pests. however AHB probably do fair much better against varroa due to their high proclivity to swarming frequency and much smaller peak colony size. ? ?
AHB seem to survive better under all circumstances. Wildness brings a vigor you can't get any other way. But I don't think there are any less Varroa on them. They tested them for Hygienic behavior and they were no better than just typical bees. I would think their aggressiveness would help with SHB but I don't know that and it very well might not since the SHB are capable of imitating bee pheromones and bee behavior to get fed.
Quote from: Ben Framed on October 08, 2022, 09:50:53 PM
Does anyone know if the 'Africanized Honey Bee', also known as the "Killer Bee", fares any better than the 'European Honey Bee' in resistance to Small Hive Beetles 'and, 'or', Varroa Destructor? Thanks!
Phillip
I wonder why you did not.. Include Certified Russian Queen bees ? In my opinion they're very readily available in the USA....
BEE HAPPY Jim134 😊
Quote from: Jim 134 on October 10, 2022, 09:24:41 PM
Quote from: Ben Framed on October 08, 2022, 09:50:53 PM
Does anyone know if the 'Africanized Honey Bee', also known as the "Killer Bee", fares any better than the 'European Honey Bee' in resistance to Small Hive Beetles 'and, 'or', Varroa Destructor? Thanks!
Phillip
I wonder why you did not.. Include Certified Russian Queen bees ? In my opinion they're very readily available in the USA....
BEE HAPPY Jim134 😊
Good point Jim. I did not leave them out on purpose. Thanks for the reminder.
Let's add Russians to the equation. I wonder if they fare well against Varroa and Small Hive Beetles in comparison to the others mentioned above?
Phillip
I didn't have SHB when I had Russians, but I certainly had Varroa mites. The Russians could survive huge loads of Varroa mites before they finally died. Many more than the Italians or Carniolans or Buckfasts could. I saw no difference for wax moths. Strong hives of any race seem to do fine in regards to wax moths.
All my bees are mutts, but for SHB it seems some hives tolerate them and some hives dont. I try to kill and requeen the ones that dont corral and fight them. As for varroa, Ive never tested an untreated hive that wasnt loaded. Someone further south than me would have to answer the AHB part.
Here are quite a few articles on Russian bees.. If you would like to. know more.
BEE HAPPY Jim134. 😊
https://www.ars.usda.gov/southeast-area/baton-rouge-la/honeybeelab/docs/russian-honey-bees/russian-honey-bee-breeders-association/#:~:text=The%20Russian%20Honey%20Bee%20Breeders%20Association&text=The%20purpose%20of%20the%20association,through%20propagation%20and%20selective%20breeding.
Just in case you'd like hto know a little bit more about Russian Honeybee. Russian bees are the only bees .I had about 10 years before I left the USA
https://youtu.be/vqp4INq0Gak
BEE HAPPY Jim134 😊
https://youtu.be/I1e5v1DYlLU
BEE HAPPY Jim134 😊