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I wonder how those bees deal with varroa mites. Many beekeepers believe that "wild hives do not exist" because untreated colonies usually die within a year or t
by growt 5y ago
I wonder how those bees deal with varroa mites. Many beekeepers believe that "wild hives do not exist" because untreated colonies usually die within a year or two.
- flurdy 5y agoThe Guardian article does mention that they are Varroa mite resistant, though not how. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/07/no-one-knew-they-existed-wild-heirs-of-lost-british-honeybee-found-at-blenheim https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/07/no-one-k...
- ByersReason 5y agoNot correct to my understanding, and somewhat out of date information. I do suggest looking at the natural beekeeping literature, for example : https://www.naturalbeekeepingtrust.org/natural-bee-husbandry https://www.naturalbeekeepingtrust.org/natural-bee-husbandry this source frequently documents populations of wild/feral, multi-year, mite resistant, hives. And also - there are plenty of beekeepers around, including myself, with multi-year treatment free hives of bees. However, mite resistant bees in commercial style un-insulated frame based langstroth hives - not so much.