ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Orange County, NC Beekeepers
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- From: John Rintoul <beecd AT icloud.com>
- To: Randall Austin <ra41717 AT gmail.com>, Phil DeGuzman <phil.deguzman AT gmail.com>
- Cc: Orange County Beekeepers Association <ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org>
- Subject: [ocba] Fungi to save bees?
- Date: Mon, 21 Mar 2016 23:44:34 -0400
I think we all agree that until something better comes along beekeepers have several controls that can be used to mitigate the effects of varroa. But I offer the following distinction between Randall's definition of natural and my definition of natural which I think is more consistent with the permaculture view that Phil endorses. Randall argues correctly that we already have "natural treatments." But those treatments require active intervention by a beekeeper to introduce the natural substance into the colony. The intervention of the beekeeper is the unnatural element here. Bees don't gather formic acid, oxalic acid or thymol in quantities or delivery modalities sufficient to self-treat for varroa. The beekeeper is the delivery mechanism. What Phil and others hope for is that further research may someday offer a natural treatment that the bees can and will harvest without the intervention of the beekeeper. A treatment that will be sufficient in both quantity and delivery modality to be an effective self-treatment. To paraphrase "Apis mellifera heal thyself." A passive fungal supplement - at least with respect to the beekeeper's role - would be an improvement. The bee is the delivery mechanism. I see that as a truly natural solution if it results in reduced mite/viral loads. The ultimate outcome of this fungal research is unknowable and, at best, many years away. But the optimists among us continue to keep our fingers crossed that a solution might be found (fungal or even botanical) that passively benefits bees and beekeepers alike by reducing the mite/viral load in the colony. Of course, those of the 'glass half empty' persuasion can argue that there is still likely to be a bit of active beekeeper intervention in that the beekeeper will have to introduce spores of the correct fungal strain to a suitable growth media in a location acceptable to the colony so that the bees have ready access to this new source of healing and/or mite killing fungus. And, for the record, I am not offended by Randall's comments or Phil's comments because the discussion has been civil and informative. I see this listserv as an open forum for the respectful exchange of information and ideas about beekeeping best practices. Participants should feel free to bring new ideas, new approaches, questions and comments to this listserv w/o fear of ridicule or condescension. I think this fungi discussion is an example of how this listserv best serves the beekeeping community. Like Randall I believe that controlling varroa is critical colony health. Without control our bees will die. But there is room for differing perspectives on our individual hopes and aspirations for new approaches to accomplish that varroa control. Like Phil I encourage research into natural alternatives (as I define natural) to supplement the natural tools (as Randal defines natural) that we already have in our arsenal. Final word from me - send a check to your favorite university bee research facility. Better yet, write your elected representatives to encourage their support of basic bee research. We need all of the evidence-based research we can get. John
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[ocba] Fungi to save bees?,
Phil DeGuzman, 03/21/2016
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Re: [ocba] Fungi to save bees?,
John Rintoul, 03/21/2016
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Re: [ocba] Fungi to save bees?,
Randall Austin, 03/21/2016
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Re: [ocba] Fungi to save bees?,
Phil DeGuzman, 03/21/2016
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Re: [ocba] Fungi to save bees?,
Randall Austin, 03/21/2016
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[ocba] Fungi to save bees?,
John Rintoul, 03/21/2016
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Re: [ocba] Fungi to save bees?,
Elizabeth Pratson, 03/22/2016
- Re: [ocba] Fungi to save bees?, David Eckert, 03/22/2016
- [ocba] Reuse of old combs, Randall Austin, 03/22/2016
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Re: [ocba] Fungi to save bees?,
Elizabeth Pratson, 03/22/2016
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Re: [ocba] Fungi to save bees?,
Phil DeGuzman, 03/22/2016
- Re: [ocba] Fungi to save bees?, Brad Kosiba, 03/22/2016
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[ocba] Fungi to save bees?,
John Rintoul, 03/21/2016
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Re: [ocba] Fungi to save bees?,
Randall Austin, 03/21/2016
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Re: [ocba] Fungi to save bees?,
Phil DeGuzman, 03/21/2016
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Re: [ocba] Fungi to save bees?,
Randall Austin, 03/21/2016
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Re: [ocba] Fungi to save bees?,
John Rintoul, 03/21/2016
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