THE RUSSIAN BEE PROJECT
The
Russian Bee story begins in Eastern Russia in the province of Primorsky, as
Ukrainian settlers from Europe moved east, at the end of the 19th century, bringing along some
western bees. Varroa was already
present on its natural host (Apis cerana) in the same region. Shipment of queens with Varroa from the Far
East back to Europe started the worldwide infestation of Varroa mites that we
have today.
The Agricultural
Research Service (ARS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
decided to start a project to investigate the possibility of resistance of
honeybees to varroa in the Russian Far East.
From 1994 to 1996, several visits to the Primorsky region followed to
make preliminary assessments on whether or not this was feasible, and to see if
there was actual resistance to varroa.
In July 1997, a
collection of 100 Primorsky honey bee queens for further research were imported
to the United States to the Honey Bee Quarantine Station at Grand Terre Island,
Louisiana. In February 1998, the queens
and their colonies were moved to secure apiaries near the USDA, ARS, Honey Bee
Breeding, Genetics and Physiology Laboratory in Baton Rouge, LA to begin actual
research on potential resistance to varroa.
Field trials were conducted with commercial beekeepers in 1998 and
1999. An agreement was made with the
Russian Academy of Sciences to continue importing Primorsky queens later
on. A release program was designed to
release the Russian stock to other breeders and producers. This began in the fall of 1999.
The Ontario
Beekeepers’ Association (OBA) seized the opportunity and in 2000, imported some
eggs and semen from this release program to start the Russian Bee Project. This project was conducted by Geoff Wilson, a
graduate student at the University of Guelph, under the guidance of Dr. Medhat
Nasr, Tech-Transfer Specialist. The
project was funded by the OBA (Ontario Beekeepers’ Association), the SBA
(Saskatchewan Beekeepers’ Association), the ACC (Agricultural Adaptation
Council), OMAF (Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food) and the CBRF
(Canadian Bee Research Fund).
In 2001, Doug
McRory, Ontario Provincial Apiarist, asked François Petit to continue the
breeding program for the Russian Bee Project and he accepted with the
understanding that continued support from the OBA would be available to ensure
success and long-term commitment.
Importations of stock (eggs only) occurred yearly from 2000 until 2005.
The Russian bee is
dark and resembles the Carniolan strain.
They use less propolis than typical Italian honey bees do. They are not sting prone, but an occasional
colony may demonstrate defensive behavior in the spring or in poor weather
conditions. They are known to
overwinter very well, and they can produce honey as well as any other
commercial stocks available on the market, given the weather is favorable
during the summer months. According to
tests performed by the Bee Lab at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the Russian stock has
potential for Varroa resistance, and
has demonstrated superiority. In
Ontario and in Quebec, it was documented by researchers that Varroa population
increases less over time in Russian colonies, comparing to other local
stocks. In Ontario, this stock was also
tested for resistance to HTM (Honey Bee Tracheal Mite), and it showed good
resistance, comparable to Ontario stock, which had been selected for many years
already. In Ontario, it was also tested
for Hygienic behavior, and it has proven to test highly hygienic.
The Russian bee is not
the “super bee” and is not yet “finished”. This stock is able to survive
without mite treatments, if you are willing to suffer high losses >50%. This stock is a genetic pool to increase
other stock in resistance to diseases and mites. Resistance is transmitted better in pure stock, but it can help
other stock as well, as hybrid bees show some degree of accrued resistance to
mites. Our hope is that we are further
ahead on the road to a lesser dependence to hard chemical controls, and that
the Russian stock will be utilized by other beekeepers and breeders, to enhance
their own stock.
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Mise à jour le
December
29, 2009