3 ms·
Some breeds are more hygienic and will do more at keeping mite infections to a minimum. For instance here in Texas we have BeeWeavers which do really well agai
by crazydoggers 6y ago
Some breeds are more hygienic and will do more at keeping mite infections to a minimum.
For instance here in Texas we have BeeWeavers which do really well against mites:
https://beeweaver.com/our-breed/ https://beeweaver.com/our-breed/
That said no bee breed is 100% resistant. To breed the resistance that this breed has took a very long time and active management like killing susceptible drones to artificially select for the trait. It’s not going to happen with one hive.
And as others have said you might do more harm than good by letting a hive get badly infected, spreading heavy infection to other hives. You should definitely actively manage it.
With the beeweavers I still get some mites, and you need to do a mite count. Typically a mite count of 3% is in danger and needs treatment.
- ciconia 6y agoHere in France basically all hives are infected, and male bees are the main propagation vector, since they go and visit other hives. For me he choice is between an intrusive apiculture - introducing poisonous chemicals into the hive, frequent interventions, essentially having a dependent, weak bee population - and a more gentle one where I keep intervention to a minimum, and instead focus on giving the bees a healthy, thriving habitat, a garden without pesticides, access to water, and lots of flowers.
- highstep 6y agoor just quit beekeeping, like i did, once i realized how horrible the mites and their treatments are.