# Up To Date SMR/VHS Info



## Rusty Hills Farm (Mar 24, 2010)

Additionally, join vshbreeders.org. Bob Danka, Adam Finkelstein, and others have answered my questions over there.

HTH

Rusty


----------



## jmgi (Jan 15, 2009)

Interesting how the vsh bees don't exhibit as much hygenic behavior towards the drone brood as they do the worker, and the drones supposedly are more preferable to mites. On the other hand, maybe it is better that way because the larger percentage, or total of mites, are in the worker brood because there is much more of it in the hive compared to drone.


----------



## mike bispham (May 23, 2009)

jmgi said:


> Interesting how the vsh bees don't exhibit as much hygenic behavior towards the drone brood as they do the worker, and the drones supposedly are more preferable to mites. On the other hand, maybe it is better that way because the larger percentage, or total of mites, are in the worker brood because there is much more of it in the hive compared to drone.


My theory is... its an evolved mechanism that reduces the male side genetic output. From the point of view of a local population it is better if bees that are suffering the predations of mites do not replicate their genes as strongly as those that have no mites.

I'm not sure that pans out in every detail...

Mike (UK)


----------

