FERAL HYBRIDS – DISEASE & MITE RESISTANT
HOME OF THE ORIGINAL WILD SURVIVOR STOCK
PACIFIC NORTHWEST QUEENS
Over a Quarter Century – No Antibiotics or Synthetic Miticides
Enhance your Diversity with our Survivor Genetics
Currently accepting reservations for 2024 Breeder Queens
To Order Call -360 928 3125
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Since 1984 we had been operating a small apiary located in the challenging micro-climate of Washington State’s isolated North Olympic Peninsula: pollinating for family farms, and supplying local specialty markets with pure raw honey …
In 1997 when feral bee populations were thought to be near extinction due to varroa mites, a universal call went out from the USDA Honeybee Stock Breeding Center asking for queens to be submitted from “wild swarms”. Located on the sparsely populated edge of the vast Olympic Wilderness, we realized we were uniquely situated to locate any genuinely feral colonies that may have survived unmanaged for decades in these harsh conditions.
By targeting remote areas whose local history told of early pioneer families introducing bees, we set out bait hives successfully trapping several swarms. We submitted samples of our early captures for DNA analysis to Washington State University and received oral confirmation that mitochondrial markers indicated they belonged to a “cluster of bees” that included Italians; Carniolan; 2 genera of Greek bees; and Caucasians. The reliable history of locations, and the color of the bees, confirmed our belief that they were most likely survivors of Caucasian stock introduced to the area by pioneer settlers in the 1800’s…That was when our ORIGINAL WILD SURVIVOR BEE BREEDING PROGRAM was born, and the real adventure began.
We continue to collect swarms; evaluate their resistance characteristics; and gradually enhance their performance with selective inclusion of proven USDA Primorsky Russian; SMR/VSH; and WSU Caucasian lines to achieve hardy feral-hybrid stock that now continues to demonstrate genetics capable of withstanding many of the lethal pests and pathogens that are plaguing honeybees today.
What makes Olympic Wilderness Breeder Queens unique?
SELECTION CRITERIA
VARROA MITE RESISTANCE:
We regularly evaluate our colonies with the Alcohol Wash Assay method to select breeder stock from hives that consistently demonstrate their successful “Hygienic Characteristics ” in 4 distinct categories
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- Brood Removal Behavior – efficient brood removal of disease and/or mite infected cells demonstrated by their ability to remove a minimum of 95% of killed brood in 24 hour
- Defensive Grooming Behavior – Watch our Survivor Bees detect & vigorously intercept v. mite on returning forager!
- Self-Grooming Behavior -Introduced USDA tracheal-mite resistant drone semen via Instrumental Insemination (II). Monitored by Independent Lab testing.
- Effective Housekeeping Behavior – demonstrated by clean bottom boards. Our stock efficiently collect and discard “waste products”.
NOSEMA TOLERANCE – due to highly adapted Pollen Hoarding Behavior
DYNAMIC HONEY PRODUCERS – due to our short season our bees have adapted to become voracious foragers, frequently observed working at 42° F
SWARMING BEHAVIOR – Not prone to swarm – when managed for explosive spring expansion
TEMPERAMENT – Able to work without gloves
LONGEVITY – Queens known to remain productive for several years
STOCK PERFORMANCE
Olympic Wilderness Apiary has contributed to a number of research projects conducted by several major Universities and the USDA Stock Breeding Center in Baton Rouge, LA.
It is important to make mention of the fact that Honeybee Research projects operate on a “traditional beekeeping calendar” that begins each season fully 2 months sooner than we can produce queens.
In spite of that limitation Olympic Wilderness Apiary has earned high marks in their participation in these following studies: