Hi Corey, great video. Thanks for taking the time to create and share this. One question: how do you avoid inbreeding when using your breeding program when queen replacement occurs from your F1 stock? I assume you would continually look to introduce fresh VSH stock for diversity in the yard, assess and refine those, and continue to use AI for control of F1 generations from VSH breeders?
Hi Cory @34:50 you talk about the classification of reproductive/non-reproductive foundress mites. You say a foundress with one young male & female would be considered as reproductive. I was taught that a protonymph wouldn't survive if the pupa was at such a late stage (purple-eyed or beyond) because the adult bee would emerge and the mite would still be immature (i.e. class it as non-reproductive). You can prove this by examining a sticky-board insert under an open-mesh floor where you may see translucent (immature) varroa mites that do not survive the emergence of the adult bee.
That is a possibility that they wouldn’t survive. But either way if they’ve got young and the bee is about to emerge, they didn’t get uncapped and removed by suppressed mite reproduction. Still a black mark. :)
Kind of glad I watched this I was trying to figure out why I had one box it was really doing some weird stuff I was finding uncapped brood and sometimes it would be dragging out larvae. I was going to replace the queen in spring but now I will look springtime and see how they do it
@@stevensbeeco767 Here in N. Calif. the VSH queen bee's cost $40 with shipping on top of that. The price would have to come down for hobbyist to buy the VSH queens. With all the things that can happen to a queen, the price is too steep
Cory, thank you for the great informative video. It is just what I have been looking for. I have some questions that I will draft up and send an email send to you. Thanks!
Hello Cory, Greeting from Albania, from a very motivated young beekeeper and a fan of yours. Unfortunately, only recently I have encountered the VSH concept, and would like to put it forward further in my apiary. If not too much trouble to ask when is the best suitable time to evaluate colonies for VSH trait, specific days, weeks, months, related to varroa mite levels, etc...? Thank you in advance, Wish you a perfect season!
Hello, The queen has to be laying in a colony for at least six weeks to ensure the workforce are her daughters. It’s easier to get a definitive score here later in the summer when varroa levels peak. However, it’s easier to use the data that we measure the spring because there is ample time to raise daughters from the best and have their colonies ready for winter. Miticide use can give false positives on a VSH assay, so the test colonies need to remain untreated for some time to allow the varroa population to increase. Best of luck this year to you and your bees as well.
I speculate that early versions probably were crude and maybe not commercially productive, mis-information about VSH in general, and thinking it’s too difficult to select for.
I’m sick of hearing of about varroa also. All talk about just keepers managing them and not breeding for resistance. Do you recommend doing washes to narrow down which colonies you would do VSH testing on? I would think having as many colonies as possible that are a level 4 to raise queens from would be a benefit cause it would maintain genetic diversity also.
It can’t hurt to wash some prior, but it could be irrelevant. If they’re under really intense varroa pressure or are robbing and bringing a bunch home, they may have an elevated wash and still be high VSH. VSH strictly measures their ability to suppress mite reproduction. I completely agree on the number of 4’s. I drone trap out of whole yards that are tested when I II queens. That way they’re super mated with high diversity 4’s.
(my VSH queen was to hygienic they pulled all the brood out) means you have a varroa problem and they are working there arsses off trying to correct it but keep being invaded and need some help with a brood break or removal.
Thanks for the information! Are you seeing any hope that VSH traits are being passed down to daughter colonies for generations, or are you always using F1 queens to prevent the VSH traits from being watered down.
It definitely hangs in the population, especially if you start using breeders to get it established. I used II’d breeders for a decade, and now have a closed population where I keep it at top levels with instrumental insemination. F1 daughters from pure breeders produce 100% VSH drones. So if you queen all your yards with F1’s they’re all producing VSH drones. It has a massive impact on the local population surrounding your apiaries too.
I’d also recommend keeping selection pressure on them. Test your favorites and graft from the ones with high scores. Keep doing that process each year. I’d be interested to see how high the VSH scores stays with open mating, and VSH testing.
I use the vaporizer to see if there was any mits on the bees I have three with open bottoms I treated three days and look I see no dead mites I know that doesn't mean I don't have any but I didn't see none spring to be here in 2 months maybe three and I can do alcohol wash then
I’m sure it varies. But likely a lack of understanding, intimidation of selection process (complication/ added labor etc), loss of faith in initial VSH stock that may not have been productive enough. That’s my speculation anyway.
I think I’ve mentioned it a time or two in presentations, but not sure exactly which. I’m going to revamp my queen rearing presentations and put them on RU-vid shortly, which will contain that segment. Also I did a recent interview with Nathan @Duck River Honey where I detail it out. He’s been releasing short videos from the conversation weekly, and I’m sure that one will be out shortly.
@@stevensbeeco767 that’s exactly why i was asking. I saw his videos where you mentioned it and ive heard other presentations somewhere where you mentioned it. I was in grad school at LSU with Jeff Harris when they were working on VSH. Giving away my age
@@apisincognito8173 You are incorrect unfortunately. This is a common misconception for those unfamiliar with uncap/recap behavior associated with VSH. And as I mentioned this was far too early in the year for wax moth reproduction.
@@apisincognito8173 In addition, the colonies are scored using a Harbo VSH assay. They’re definitely VSH, and uncap/recap is a blatant symptom of bees that carry the VSH trait set.
