Starting on Your Varroa Resistance Journey

According to recent surveys, the majority of managed colonies in the UK are treated for varroa. Undoubtedly, a few of these treated colonies would be able to manage varroa themselves but their varroa resistant traits are bring supressed as the treatments relieve mite pressure. But the majority will be mite susceptible colonies that would perish without the treatments. This can make it difficult.

There are two ways to develop a sustainable varroa resistant apiary:

• • Identify varroa resistant traits in your existing colonies

Once you are confident in identifying and recording varroa resistant traits, you can start identifying those colonies you will raise new stock from, replacing mite susceptible colonies either by re-queening from your varroa resistant stock or replacing with whole colonies that you have raised from that stock.

Ideally, you would monitor stocks you have identified as having the traits for three years without any treatment, ensuring that the health does not diminish and low mite levels are maintained, before you proliferate from them.

That monitoring is very important and gives you a three-year time period for moving to a sustainable varroa resistant apiary.

Starting a project at your club and sharing knowledge works very well.

• • Acquire varroa resistant colonies

Acquiring varroa resistant colonies is currently difficult.

Be cautious about acquiring bees from the commercial bee sellers who claim to sell varroa resistant bees. Ask difficult questions. Have they been imported? Have they subsequently been treated? Are they from proven varroa resistant colonies?

It is far better to get bees or queens from members of your local association, club or breeding group who are keeping varroa resistant colonies and have queens or nucs to spare or sell. They will be both varroa resistant and locally adapted. Unfortunately, such groups are currently rare although on the increase.

Catching swarms from local free-living colonies can be a useful way of acquiring varroa resistant bees as nature is good at culling mite susceptible colonies, while the varroa resistant colonies persevere and thrive. You'll need to be sure the swarm you acquire has come from a free-living colony and not a managed mite susceptible colony, and check the swarm is disease free and with desirable handling traits before you move them into your apiary.

You can find an array of resources on bee breeding on our YouTube channel, including a dedicated playlist.