Russian honey bee: Difference between revisions
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The most valuable trait of the Russian honey bee is its resistance to various parasitic mites. This strain has lived for more than 150 years in a region that is home to the [[Varroa destructor|varroa mite]] and the tracheal mites ([[Acarapis woodi]]), and appear to have evolved traits of resistance to natural [[mite]]s in their own habitat owing to heavy selection pressures. |
The most valuable trait of the Russian honey bee is its resistance to various parasitic mites. This strain has lived for more than 150 years in a region that is home to the [[Varroa destructor|varroa mite]] and the tracheal mites ([[Acarapis woodi]]), and appear to have evolved traits of resistance to natural [[mite]]s in their own habitat owing to heavy selection pressures. |
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It has been documented that Varroa destructor mite populations have reduced growth in Russian colonies <ref>http://etmd.nal.usda.gov/bitstream/10113/2224/1/IND43938395.pdf</ref>, that russian-italian hybrid colonies had lower mite populations <ref>http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1603/0022-0493%282007%29100%5B258%3ACOPMIR%5D2.0.CO%3B2</ref>, exhibited strong hygienic behavior towards mites <ref>De Guzman Rinderer, et al, Hygienic Behavior by Honey Bees From Far-Eastern Russian, American Bee Journal, Jan 2002</ref>, and that Russian bees may attack mites, based on observations of Varroa mites with missing appendages and bite marks in hives with screened bottom boards.<ref>Brachmann, Bob, p18, Characteristics of Russian Bees, Bee Culture, Nov 2004</ref>. It has been shown further that Russian stocks resist infection by tracheal mites <ref>http://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/64133000/PDFFiles/459-Villa--Inheritance%20of%20Resistance.pdf</ref>. |
It has been documented that Varroa destructor mite populations have reduced growth in Russian colonies <ref>http://etmd.nal.usda.gov/bitstream/10113/2224/1/IND43938395.pdf</ref>, that russian-italian hybrid colonies had lower mite populations <ref>http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1603/0022-0493%282007%29100%5B258%3ACOPMIR%5D2.0.CO%3B2</ref>, exhibited strong hygienic behavior towards mites <ref>De Guzman Rinderer, et al, Hygienic Behavior by Honey Bees From Far-Eastern Russian, American Bee Journal, Jan 2002</ref>, and that Russian bees may attack mites, based on observations of Varroa mites with missing appendages and bite marks in hives with screened bottom boards.<ref>Brachmann, Bob, p18, Characteristics of Russian Bees, Bee Culture, Nov 2004</ref>. It has been shown further that Russian stocks resist infection by tracheal mites <ref>http://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/64133000/PDFFiles/459-Villa--Inheritance%20of%20Resistance.pdf</ref>. |
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However, whereas few would debate that Russian honey bees resist mites, they do not always outperform other honey bee stocks, and treatment with pesticides is often required. A different USDA-ARS strain produced by the Baton Rouge Honey Bee Laboratory, "VSH" (Varroa Sensitive Hygiene), was shown to need far less chemical treatments for mites than Russians (1% of VSH colonies vs. 24% of Russian colonies) <ref>http://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/64133000/PDFFiles/471-Ward--ComparativePerformance.pdf</ref>. An unfortunate contradiction regarding the need for treatment occured in a 2010 review article on Russian bees; Rinderer et al.(2010) in a review of Russian breeding, makes the claim in the Abstract section of "...the development of two breeding successes that have produced honey bees of commercial quality that do not require pesticide treatment to control Varroa,", whereas on p 2 of the article, the claim is "..These honey bees require substantially fewer acaricide (pesticide) treatments for controlling Varroa mites." <ref>http://www.apidologie.org/index.php?option=com_article&access=doi&doi=10.1051/apido/2010015&Itemid=129</ref> This is a very unfortunate contradiction because when searching the internet for literature, search engines and scientific databases often index article abstracts but not full manuscripts; the false statement of "chemical-free bee lines" will be cited instead of the correct information, because fewer searchers will have the opportunity to read the full article. |
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== Controversy == |
== Controversy == |
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Revision as of 18:01, 20 December 2010
The Russian honeybee from the Primorsky Krai, a region in the southern extreme of the Russian Far East, belongs to the species Apis mellifera. In 1997, the USDA's Honeybee Breeding, Genetics & Physiology Laboratory in Baton Rouge, Louisiana imported Russian bees to North America.[1]. Russian bees have demonstrated resistance to mites, however they still require some miticide treatments. Furthermore, they are not widely used in commercial apiculture, and opinions on their value tend to be highly polarized.
Resistance to mites
The most valuable trait of the Russian honey bee is its resistance to various parasitic mites. This strain has lived for more than 150 years in a region that is home to the varroa mite and the tracheal mites (Acarapis woodi), and appear to have evolved traits of resistance to natural mites in their own habitat owing to heavy selection pressures.
It has been documented that Varroa destructor mite populations have reduced growth in Russian colonies [2], that russian-italian hybrid colonies had lower mite populations [3], exhibited strong hygienic behavior towards mites [4], and that Russian bees may attack mites, based on observations of Varroa mites with missing appendages and bite marks in hives with screened bottom boards.[5]. It has been shown further that Russian stocks resist infection by tracheal mites [6].
Controversy
In spite of nearly a decade's worth of selective breeding and availability, Russian honeybees have not found wide-spread acceptance in commercial apiculture. Enthusiasts claim that they are gentle (not prone to sting), use less propolis than typical Italian honey bees, show winter hardiness (they hibernate in small winter clusters), produce a high nectar haul per bee, are more apt to building queen cells throughout the brood season, and may have a higher tendency to swarm. However, few of these claims are supported by peer-reviewed studies that have been published in scientific journals.
Indeed, many studies have shown no benefit or even detriment for using Russian stocks. Danka and Beaman (2009) of the Baton Rouge laboratory reported that Russians were not superior to Italian stocks with regard to pollination of almonds and to winter hardiness, and found that un-fed Russian colonies actually lost bees (-16%) whereas un-fed Italian stocks gained them (4%) during winter months [7].
External links
- Russian Honeybee Breeders Association http://www.russianbreeder.org
- Danka and Beaman 2009. Preliminary observations of autumn feeding of USDA-ARS Russian honey bees to enhance flight performance during almond pollination. http://www.beeculture.com/content/ScienceJournalMay2009.pdf
References
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://etmd.nal.usda.gov/bitstream/10113/2224/1/IND43938395.pdf
- ^ http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1603/0022-0493%282007%29100%5B258%3ACOPMIR%5D2.0.CO%3B2
- ^ De Guzman Rinderer, et al, Hygienic Behavior by Honey Bees From Far-Eastern Russian, American Bee Journal, Jan 2002
- ^ Brachmann, Bob, p18, Characteristics of Russian Bees, Bee Culture, Nov 2004
- ^ http://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/64133000/PDFFiles/459-Villa--Inheritance%20of%20Resistance.pdf
- ^ [2]
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