WSARE 2000 Farmer/Rancher Grants-FW00-034

TITLE: Russian Honeybee Queens Resistant to Varroa in Oregon

Oregon beekeepers are experimenting with a sustainable method of controlling the Varroa mite

Beekeepers in Oregon are bringing Russians to their operations--Russian honeybees, that is. USDA researchers in Louisiana have found these Russian honeybee queens to be resistant to the honeybee brood mite Varroa jacobsoni. The Varroa mite has been plaguing bee colonies in the Northwest for over a decade. Beekeepers use miticides to combat these pests; however, these miticides can be expensive and can affect the quality of the honey. In addition, the mites have built resistance to some miticides. Beekeeper Chuck Hunt, along with other local beekeepers, wants to find a way to solve the Varroa problem without the use of chemicals--so he is bringing in the bees.

With the aid of a Farmer/Rancher grant from Western SARE, Hunt is conducting an experiment comparing total Varroa mite population between colonies with the Russian queens and colonies with standard Pacific Northwest queens. If they can prove that the Russian breed of honeybee is resistant to the Varroa mite, they will be on their way to finding a sustainable approach to the problem of honeybee pests in Oregon.

Fifteen of the Russian resistant bee queens will be introduced into fifteen colonies; another fifteen colonies of standard stock bees will be started with young Pacific Northwest queens. Neither group will be treated with a miticide. Once a month from April to November, a mite sampling and worker bee population estimate will be performed on each colony to compare the total mite population. The groups will also be compared in terms of honey production and colony strength and survival.

Hunt hopes that finding a Varroa resistant honeybee stock will not only improve the health of honeybees in the Northwest and benefit beekeepers themselves, but it will also contribute to sustaining agriculture in the Northwest.