Breeding for Varroa Tolerance
Member Rodger Dewhurst has been awarded the Josef Stark award for services to beekeeping by SICAMM, the European group dedicated to preserving the European native bee. His painstaking observations of our local bees’ ability to remove varroa from colonies has been recognised by European bee breeders. He gave a paper at Versailles on his approach and the methods he uses to identify colonies with good potential as breeders – sources of new queens and drones. Work is continuing to assess the ability to increase varroa limiting traits using open mating.
Rodger co-founded with James Kilty and Lol Oakes, two other members of WCBKA, the Cornwall Bee Improvement and Bee Breeders Group, with members from both BKAs in Cornwall. Members support each other to select, exchange and breed from the best stock.
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content last modified July 2
2009