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by drewnoakes
2668 days ago
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I'm just getting into beekeeping so take this with a pinch of salt, but I've read that in the region that Varroa are native to, native bees are able to clean themselves. The problem is that bees from other geographies which do not have this behaviour are (currently) sitting ducks to these mites. Mite reproduction is hard to inhibit for both the bees and beekeepers. Female mites sneak into brood cells (cells used for bee reproduction) before the cells are capped and hide under the developing bee young. Once the cell is capped, the bees outside are unaware of what's happening within the cell. The mites lay their eggs within the capped cell, the eggs hatch, mate and emerge along with a diminished bee. This means Varroa treatments (such as oxalic acid vapour) only work if there are no capped brood, which only occurs at certain times during the year. On the topic of vision it's worth pointing out that bees spend the majority of their time within the hive where it's completely dark. They only go out to forage late in their short lives. Their lifespans increase for winter, and they stay within the hive until spring. All that to say, they can't rely on vision for most of their activities. Their various dances (of which the waggle dance is probably the best known) are actually felt rather than seen. For this reason, I believe they could not rely on vision for mite hygene. Note that Varroa is only one of the troubles that bees face! There are also hive beetles, wax moths, European foul brood, American foul brood and more, depending upon geography. Asian hornets are another serious problem in some regions. Despite all this I would encourage anyone to look into beekeeping and see whether they find it interesting. I feel like I've discovered a fascinating and lovely niche with a great community around it, and I wish I'd gotten into it earlier. |
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