# Good read - SARE Grant - Trapping Feral Honeybee Swarms (Final Report for FNC02-397/Region: North Central/State: Missouri)



## James Lee (Apr 29, 2020)

GregB said:


> A good friend sent me a link.
> 
> Notice the locality involved in the project - *Region: North Central - State: Missouri*
> This paper, essentially, documents local presence of mite resistant/tolerant bees in the area.
> ...


I like the contrasting perspective initiated in resistance vs. tolerance. Of 5 caught swarms in my apiary in the beginning of May 2021, those 5 received no brood breaks, treatments, or other interventions aside from supering - and are the strongest colonies I have at the moment. The tell will be their survival into 2023.


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## Litsinger (Jun 14, 2018)

Good post, Greg. It would be interesting to see how this project has progressed in the succeeding 20 years. Alas, we lost Dr. Gilliard way too soon: 









Obituary for Rev. Dr. Grant F. C. Gillard at Williams Holden Chapel


Rev. Dr. Grant Franklin Claude Gillard, 62 of Holden, Missouri passed away unexpectedly Thursday, March 18, 2021 at his home. Grant was born November 17, 1958 in Albert Lea, Minnesota the son of Jack F. C. Gillard and Barbara Anderson Gillard. He graduated from Albert Lea High School. Next, he



www.williamsfuneralchapel.net





How about typical package prices of $45 dollars...


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

Litsinger said:


> How about typical package prices of $45 dollars...


I saw that.
Just 20 year ago? Whew.
Per the latest ad in my area - $140 for 3lb.


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## gator75 (Apr 21, 2021)

I'm such a newbie I hate to even mention this anecdotal example, but a swarm I caught from a bee tree last summer has never been treated and I pulled 9 mites out of almost a complete frame of capped drone brood a week and a half ago. The NUC I bought from a commercial outfit last spring was overwhelmed by mites in 3 months and died. I'm a believer. Problem is the trade off. The feral bees aren't gentle or fun to be around that much. The NUC bees could be worked without any protection at all. Worth it IMO, though.


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## James Lee (Apr 29, 2020)

gator75 said:


> I'm such a newbie I hate to even mention this anecdotal example, but a swarm I caught from a bee tree last summer has never been treated and I pulled 9 mites out of almost a complete frame of capped drone brood a week and a half ago. The NUC I bought from a commercial outfit last spring was overwhelmed by mites in 3 months and died. I'm a believer. Problem is the trade off. The feral bees aren't gentle or fun to be around that much. The NUC bees could be worked without any protection at all. Worth it IMO, though.


I already forgot where I JUST read this - but not all swarms have mite-resistance. I'll dig around for it, but the revelation was that they have tolerance. So it wasn't the mite-load that was of concern so much as the colony's carrying capacity.


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## Honey Bee (Oct 24, 2021)

Feral Swarm landed Easter 2022.. Southeast USA. ZERO mites and ZERO small hive beetles. Calm and require no smoking. High honey production. And yes, I am absolutely trying to requeen every hive with her progeny. The DCA is over our property. You can literally hear drones falling on tin roof over garage on a sunny calm afternoon, and hives are full of thousands of drones refuelling each day. I put a queen excluder on and thought I had a swarm, it was so many. Using my hive like a Flying J truck stop. I left the swarm in the hive they chose. I've been splitting from her. They are like superbees. Far out paving nucs and packages. These bees live here. They know exactly where to forage. It's wild to see a nuc forage in the graveyard, and feral bees fly straight for the clover fields in opposite direction. 100% gentle and all about the business. Beekeepers dream come true.


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## AR1 (Feb 5, 2017)

James Lee said:


> I already forgot where I JUST read this - but not all swarms have mite-resistance. I'll dig around for it, but the revelation was that they have tolerance. So it wasn't the mite-load that was of concern so much as the colony's carrying capacity.


Bit of a late reply. I missed this thread when it was new. Regarding swarms being mite-tolerant, I can say that not all are. Depends on the source. I got one swarm that died that same year in the fall, so it survived less than 6 months. Completely devastated by mites and virus. Never saw another one like that.


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## johno (Dec 4, 2011)

The paper was ended in 2004, By now surely we should have resistant or tolerant queens for sale. Can anyone tell me where I can find a guaranteed resistant or tolerant queen.


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## Litsinger (Jun 14, 2018)

johno said:


> Can anyone tell me where I can find a guaranteed resistant or tolerant queen.











Mite resistant honeybees | Stevens Bee Company LLC | Bloomfield


Stevens Bee Company is exclusively focused on producing mite and disease resistant breeding stock. We are producing instrumentally inseminated breeder queens from colonies that were tested to the fullest in an untreated environment.




www.stevensbeeco.com


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