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The scope of the Russian honey bee trials is large, involving several cooperators. There are two reasons for needing these cooperators. First, the trials require more honey bee colonies than the laboratory can possibly maintain on its own. Each year the tests require more than 500 colonies of honey bees. Second, in order to produce a stock of commercially valuable honey bees, tests need to be conducted in several different beekeeping environments so that lines selected for inclusion in the program are known to have value in more than one location.
Iowa
Manley Bigalk
Golden Ridge Honey Farm
Cresco, Iowa
Manley has participated as a cooperator in ARS Bee Lab projects since 1991, when he donated colonies, yards and time to tests involving different stocks of bees and their tracheal mite resistance. Manley has been part of the Russian bee evaluation and field tests from their start in April 1999 through the latest group in 2004. The northern location of his operation has afforded us the opportunity to also do full tracheal mite and winter tests on the Russian bees. |
Gary Delatte (l) and Manley Bigalk (r) |
Louisiana
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Charlie Harper
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Charlie Harper
Carencro, Louisiana
Ph. (337) 896-5247
http://russianbreeder.com/index.html
Charlie has been a cooperator in a variety of Lab projects since 1999. He is now the holder of the CRADA (Cooperative Research And Development Agreement) for the development and distribution of the Russian Breeder Queens. He has been very enthusiastic in this new role. He produced a large number of breeder queens and housed them in nucs for the 2004 release. Next year (2005), breeder queens will be available as early as anyone wants them. Also, as we collect more lines for inclusion into the breeding program, we need more colonies for their annual propagation and selection. Many of Charlie’s apiaries will be used for this purpose. Charlie has decided not to treat these colonies for varroa saying "if they die, we don’t want them". This will greatly benefit the selection program but will cause Charlie to loose some colonies. |
Mississippi
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Hubert Tubbs
Tubbs Apiaries
Webb, Mississippi
Hubert has been an important part of the Russian bee evaluation and field tests from their start in April 1999 through the latest group in 2004. The relatively close proximity of the Tubbs' operation has made it possible for the research crew to visit the yards on relatively short notice and evaluate the Russian bees in many different circumstances; from early spring splits, queen cell acceptance, colony buildup through honey harvest and late fall shut down and overwintering. |
Hubert Tubbs
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Chris Tubbs
Chris' Bees
Webb, Mississippi
Chris divides his beekeeping time between working with his Dad at Tubbs apiaries and taking care of his own bees. Despite his busy schedule, he has been generous with the time he has devoted to the Russian program when we ask him to wield a hive tool, a bobcat or a truck. |
Chris Tubbs
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