JimM’s Recent Comments

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  Biodiversity is not dead

  The Soviet planned economy never developed miticides.  Bees in the old Soviet Union were infested with varroa and tracheal mites many generations ago.  Some colonies survived, and eventually the general population of honeybees in that area developed natural resistance to those pests.  Several years ago, the USDA began a program to import Russian bees and cross them with the varieties more commonly used in the US, to bring in the mite resistance traits.  This has been somewhat successful, in that mite resistant Italian and (I think) Carniolan bees are now available.  Clearly not all beekeepers have been using those strains.  

  There is no need to mourn for biodiversity yet.  Russian bees developed mite resistance since the 1940s.  

  Personally, I am looking forward to spring, to see how my colony of Russian bees has wintered.  So far, indications are positive.  On Please? posted 2 years, 8 months ago 7 Responses

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  What about Universities?

  Have systems of this sort been properly pitched to the nation's large northern universities for use on their own campuses?  Why have they not been adopted there?  If anyone is getting grant money at this point, one would think that instead of using it to reinvent the PRT, they could instead use it to implement one.  On Time for the feds to step in posted 3 years ago 7 Responses