Thought this might interest you HiveKeepers and kin. Has anyone
learned of a sustainable treatment for varroa that I can pass along
to this list? I hear it's a horrible way for bees to die; they lie on
their backs and kick in agony. Given that our lives depend on flowers
(angiosperms), I admire and respect bees deeply, even as I'm deathly
allergic to their stings.
peace
misha
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VARROA MITE, BEES - UK
**********************
A ProMED-mail post
Date: Mon, 3 Aug 1998 16:50:59 -0500
Source: News media
Via: Martin Hugh-Jones
Varroa, a parasitic mite of honey bees and unknown in Britain until it
crossed from the Continent in 1992, has devastated bee colonies in
England and Wales and is now threatening Scotland. Having already
wiped out huge numbers of bees as it swept its way through thousands
of hives across England and Wales, it is now poised to inflict similar
chaos in Scotland.
The mite has established an expanding foothold in the western Scottish
borders and has also crossed to the Republic of Ireland. The pest
crossed into Scotland late last year. Since then it has established
itself in Dumfries and Galloway and parts of Roxburghshire. Adrian
Waring, general secretary of the British Beekeepers' Association said
yesterday: "Incidence in the UK is continuing to increase. Doing
nothing is not an option." He was speaking at the launch of National
Varroa Week, designed to make Britain's 30,000 beekeepers more aware
of the dangers of varroa and ways of guarding their hives against it.
The parasite has totally defeated efforts to halt its invasion. It
has proved so aggressive that the UK Ministry of Agriculture
abandoned efforts to eradicate it within months of its arrival. It
now seems as though it is here to stay and all that beekeepers can do
is try to minimise the damage, most experts believe. Varroa kills
some bees, but weakens others. This in turn weakens the colonies,
making them more susceptible to other diseases and pests.
Beekeepers have been urged to sift through the debris on the floors of
their hives for signs of the mite. If varroa is found the hive can be
treated with strips impregnated with Bayvarol hung between the
honeycombs.
[Written by: David Brown]
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Michele Gale-Sinex, communications manager
Center for Integrated Ag Systems
UW-Madison College of Ag and Life Sciences
Voice: (608) 262-8018 FAX: (608) 265-3020
http://www.wisc.edu/cias/
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If you knew what life was worth, you
would look for yours on earth. --Bob Marley
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