# Resistant Bees



## RiodeLobo (Oct 11, 2010)

I am just getting started in beekeeping and am interested in bees that have more natural resistance to diseases in order to keep medication use to a minimum. Does anyone have suggestions or input on the topic?

Thanks


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## Duboisi (Oct 7, 2009)

My first priority would be to get bees from a line of no-treatment survivors that are gentle to work with.

Second priority would offcorse be to not treat unless you have to, and maybee not even then(depending on your strategy and hive numbers).


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## natureboy (Jun 8, 2010)

check out mn hygenic and russion bees.


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## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

When I've been in need of bees, I looked for stock from local beekeepers. If you're putting most of your "no treatment" eggs in this one basket, then you may want to look for bees from a breeder that select for this.


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## Countryboy (Feb 15, 2009)

Try to obtain local swarms. These swarms come from hives that thrive in your location; often feral colonies.


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## heaflaw (Feb 26, 2007)

VSH, Russians, Minn Hygenics, New World Carniolian. Or locally bred that have developed a resistance. Check out Randy Weaver or Adam Finklestein if you want to have shipped to you.


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## olddrown (Oct 28, 2009)

Look at VSH bees


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

olddrown said:


> Look at VSH bees


I agree. Russians are too slow to build up in the spring and are way too swarmy. VSH is starting to show some promise.

After 7 years of introducing VSH stock into my apiaries, I'm starting to see some results. It's not the silver bullet or the answer to all our problems, but it's a good start.

This from a customer:Source of other queens is edited out because I'm not trying to start a war...it's just that I find this so encouraging.

>>I thought you might be interested to know a little comparison of the
nucs and queens I purchased from you this year vs. hives with bees I
purchased from ***** last year. (The queens from ***** were
Carniolans too.)

The nucs I purchased from you this spring, along with the nucs I started
in July with your queens have all exhibited VSH traits. All of those
hives have dead pupae on the landing boards.

In comparison, the two hives that I have left over from ***** do not
exhibit VSH traits. They don't have dead pupae on the landing boards.
They are clean bees, they carry out their dead and debris, just no VSH
traits.

I completed my mite treatments for the year last week using mite-away
II. The mite drop in the hives with your queens was very low. I didn't
count the mites, but based on visual inspection of the debris trays, I
would guess from 30-60 mites per hive. In comparison, the two hives I
purchased from **** had hundreds of mites, yes hundreds. Far too
many mites to count. This was the same last year, both of those hives
from ***** had high mite counts at this time last year too.

One of the ***** hives is a prolific honey producer and they are
extremely gentle. I experimented this summer to see if I could
introduce the genetics from your bees (VSH traits) and cross them with
daughters of this hive. Based on preliminary looks, I was successful.
The daughters of the ***** hive were exhibiting VSH traits, while
their mother did not. I'm not sure if it's coincidence, or if the
science of genetics worked.


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