I think it probably was dwv.
Viral epidemics dont need much to trigger off and thhe arrival of varroa is a sure fire way of greatly increasing the spread of dwv among a colony of bees.
I think it probably was dwv.
Viral epidemics dont need much to trigger off and thhe arrival of varroa is a sure fire way of greatly increasing the spread of dwv among a colony of bees.
...and only a small percentage of bees with DWV actually have visibly deformed wings.
The first time I saw a varroa Kate it was on a bee
It was a new experience and I just assumed that it was a low level
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I'd kept varroa-infested bees for years before I came here so I knew about the pest. We'd been keeping a close watch on drop etc – samples to SASA each Spring – and there really was a very low level of infestation only found by sugar rolling. Couldn't even find it on the drone brood.
But really interested in the DWV issue. Perhaps, because varroa had arrived recently, the bees were more susceptible a new form of DWV rather the wing damage indicating the massive increase in the disease which happens when infestation is heavy?
When I saw my first one Kate I was a bit green because the chap who did all our beekeeping training was in the lucky position of not having any varroa
The consequence was that I looked up a map of the infested area and found I was still outside it
Well, that was an example of how maps often are out of date before they even get published
The really good chap who I got the bees from had them inspected at the end of the previous season and they were clear
Needless to say a year later 3 out of 4 had perished thanks to varroa
Had to buy some more , another 2 hives
Now the chap who sold me those, again could not have been nicer, he had never seen a varroa and didn't want to either !!
After I got them settled and had a first look I found neither had any brood worth mentioning but loads of bees
Being a bit wiser after the last time though, I took the precaution of sticking in some Apistan strips (that being the only approved treatment at the time)
Enough varroa dropped out of the two that I could half fill a small Tupperware container
Some people might say those bees must have had some resistance, and maybe they would be right, but if I hadn't treated them I think they would have disappeared like the others
One thing they didn't have was much DWV because with that level of infestation it would probably have been very obvious
There must still be a bit of those bees in my present mongrels but probably not much
The one thing I learned across the years since then, is that even when there is no evidence of varroa you can still get a nasty shock if you treat them, and can find hundreds of varroa drop out
Oxalic evaporation is a better treatment than the Apistan strips were but thank goodness for Vita and their products which saved many a hive
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