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PRODID:Amateur Entomologists' Society Events listings
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UID:20110129T100000-463@amentsoc.org
SUMMARY:IBRA Conference - Varroa - still a problem in the 21st century?
LOCATION:The University of Worcester, Henwick Grove, Worcester, WR2 6AJ, UK.
DESCRIPTION: In recent years, the world's headlines have been full of accounts of mass deaths of honey bee colonies, and in the USA, where almond pollination is a multi billion dollar industry, the term Colony Collapse Disorder has been coined. Many possible explanations for these colony losses have been suggested. Some such as mobile phones and genetically modified crops have been swiftly dismissed by scientists, but pests and diseases, and potential interactions with pesticides and loss of bee forage, have received more serious attention. Much research is being carried out worldwide, including through the international COLOSS Network, and scientific consensus suggests that there is no single cause, and different interacting factors may be occurring in different regions. It is inescapable, however, that the parasitic mite Varroa destructor, is present in all regions where recent colony losses have occurred, and the mite is known to interact with other pests and diseases, principally viruses. Varroa is, however, not a new problem. It was first identified as a serious pest more than half a century ago, and chemical and other control methods have been available for decades. Why therefore is it still a problem? This major conference will bring together international authorities, who will outline our current knowledge about the biology of the mite and its interaction with other diseases, discuss the problems of chemical resistance, and suggest control methods, whether chemical, biological, biotechnical or by bee breeding, and suggest practical solutions for the practical beekeeper to enable us to live with the mite in the 21st century.
DTSTART:20110129T100000
DTEND:20110129T163000
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