[Pollinator] Mite resistant strain of bee discovered

[Jennifer Tsang]

Thanks to Christina Scheltema for forwarding the below article:

                                                       

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE67O4SN20100825?feedType=RSS&feedName=s
cienceNews&rpc=76

 


UK bee industry abuzz with mite resistant breed


Wed, Aug 25 2010

By Stefano
<http://blogs.reuters.com/search/journalist.php?edition=us&n=stefano.ambrogi
&>  Ambrogi

LONDON (Reuters) - A British beekeeper said on Wednesday he may have
discovered a strain of honey bee immune to a parasite that has been
gradually wiping out populations of the vital insect worldwide.

Scientists have been trying to find a way to fight the pesticide-resistant
Varroa mite.

But now a retired heating engineer who has spent 18 years searching for a
mite-resistant breed may have made a breakthrough.

Ron Hoskins, 79, from Swindon in southern England, says he has managed to
isolate and breed a strain of bees which "groom" one another, removing the
mites.

Since making his discovery, which he said happened by chance, he has been
artificially inseminating queen bees in the hope they will establish
themselves.

"The Varroa mite has been causing havoc with colonies in countries all over
the world, apart from Australia. It has spread at an alarming rate and is
very destructive," Hoskins told Reuters.

"If this problem is left unchecked it could be a disaster for the food chain
waiting to happen," he added.

He said recent research had found that more than two thirds of all Britain's
honeybees have been lost to the parasite. He is now looking for funding to
further his research and has had an invitation from Australian officials and
counterparts eager to keep the parasite at bay.

Bees, like other insects and birds, are crucial for pollinating crops and
plant species which, just as importantly, absorb carbon dioxide and produce
oxygen.

HABITAT LOSS

ADAS, a British environmental consultancy, says bees are responsible for
pollinating British crops worth up to 200 million pounds ($308.4 million) a
year. Apples, pears, plums and raspberries are all heavily reliant on their
deftness.

Globally, the value to agricultural markets is estimated to be up to 130
billion pounds, experts say.

But the humble worker bee population has come under enormous strain from
habitat loss, bad weather and disease in the last few decades.

In Britain alone, known colonies were found to have been cut by half between
1985 and 2005, according to the British Beekeepers' Association (BBKA).

The Varroa mite has been one of the prime culprits for the bee's demise.
Arriving from the Far East the parasite wormed its way through colonies in
Europe, before becoming endemic in the UK in 1992.

The BBKA said Hoskins' work was a potentially exciting discovery, though
cautioned that it was still early days.

"Ron is a very experienced beekeeper. His research is small scale, but it is
promising," a spokeswoman said.

"Any research like this is welcome, remembering that one in three mouthfuls
of what everybody eats is down to bee pollinations."

(Editing by Ralph
<http://blogs.reuters.com/search/journalist.php?edition=us&n=ralph.boulton&>
Boulton)

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20100826/eaf0b37a/attachment.html>