2005 Saskatraz Report
Submitted by Albert Robertson
The Saskatraz yard site was initiated in June 2004 and eighteen months have now passed since its establishment. Honeybee colonies were selected from Russian lines, Saskatchewan selections and Russian-Canadian hybrids. Russian stock was imported as embryos from the USDA in Baton Rouge, La., for several years and "near pure" lines reconstructed by a backcrossing procedure. Colonies were reselected for overwintering ability, honey production, temperament and other characters prior to introduction to "Saskatraz" for testing by natural selection. About half of the colonies were selected by Saskatchewan queen breeders prior to placing into Saskatraz. Selections from the Manitoba queen breeders association were also introduced for evaluation. Thirty-five colonies were placed in Saskatraz by July 2004. All colonies were infected with varroa and tracheal mites by October 15, 2005 and no chemical treatments to control mite infestations have been made or will be made in the future. Natural selection will be allowed to identify colonies with tracheal and varroa mite tolerance. None of the colonies introduced were found to have tracheal mites. Tracheal mites were introduced in the fall of 2004 by adding at least 200 bees from an infested colony (60% infestation) provided by John Gruszka.
In April,2005 thirty-two ofthe thirty-five colonies established in July 2004 survived. Phenotypic analyses ofthe thirty-two, queen right colonies was performed and two colonies were selected on the basis of population and brood pattern. Saskatraz 23 and 30 (Sat-23 and Sat-30) were considered for multiplication and queen cells raised from these colonies were distributed to SBA queen breeders. Another series of crosses using instrumental insemination were made in August,2004. Russian virgin queens originating from the USDA, Baton Rouge (red-04, yellow-blue-04, blue-04) were inseminated with semen collected from drones representing two lines of pure "Carnica" lines selected for varroa tolerance, hygienic behaviour, honey production, and temperament by Dr. Ralph Buchler, in Germany. These crosses and their progeny were reselected in 2005 and some have been placed in "Saskatraz" for evaluation. This summer we made 36 more crosses by instrumental insemination with an additional two lines of semen imported from Germany and Russian-05 releases, Manitoba queen breeders selections and Saskatraz selections. The surviving lines will be evaluated in 2006 for establishment in Saskatraz. These crosses were made possible by Yves Garez, who arranged the importation of semen from Germany, and for Susan Cobey to perform inseminations at our laboratory at Meadow Ridge.
In May 2005, Eric Pedersen was hired to work on the "Saskatraz " project. His task was to evaluate changes in varroa populations in each of the Saskatraz hives over the summer. In addition, he maintained the yard site, performed hygienic tests, collected honey bee samples for tracheal mite analyses and assisted when possible with harvesting honey. Varroa mite analyses consisted of collecting sticky boards from each colony every 5 to 7 days and counting the total number of varroa mites which accumulated on the sticky boards by natural drop. Varroa mites were also sorted as to maturity (white mites being scored as immature) and damage. Mites that were missing body parts (legs, head, etc) because of honeybee biting or grooming behaviour was also recorded. Eric also established 16 more selections at Saskatraz in 2005, and is still compiling mite counts and data on a part time basis.
We measured honey production from each colony over the summer. Honey was harvested at three different times from mid-July to September 12. Considerable variation in yields between colonies was noted and colony data is still being evaluated to determine how tracheal and varroa mite population are affecting yield. Saskatraz-30 showed the highest yield (334 Ibs), with several other selections showing reasonable production (SAT-23=2441bs; SAT28=2121bs; SAT-14=324 LBS; SAT-34=293 Ibs). The colonies with the best honey yields generally showed the lowest varroa and tracheal mite populations. Some colonies are now showing tracheal mite levels as high as 10%. None ofthe above selections had any detectable tracheal mites after testing 100 bees per colony. Saskatraz-26 showed the highest varroa population (> 1 t),000 mites) and a honey yield of 159 Ibs. However, it was noted that this hives honey production dropped off sharply on the third harvest date. We expect to see more significant differences between colonies in 2006. Tracheal and varroa mite levels appear to be already affecting colony performance, with some colonies showing distinctive phenotypes in terms of varroa population dynamics. The most sensitive indicator of colony health is honey yield and higher yielding colonies are showing some common hehaviour in terms of fluctuating varroa mite populations and appear to be maintaining low or non-detectable tracheal mite populations.
In 2006 we need more: SBA queen breeders to multiply selections from Saskatraz and distribute to commercial beekeepers. In addition, we require more selections from Saskatchewan Beekeepers to put back into Saskatraz for evaluation and reselection. We need to maintain a large gene pool at Saskatraz for selection of the best traits for redistribution to commercial beekeepers on a yearly basis.
Extracted from the SBA Newsletter Vol. 10, No. 4, Winter 2005.
