西洋でのミツバチの歴史は古く、紀元前6000年頃の東スペインの洞窟壁画に蜜蜂の巣から蜂蜜を搾っている人の姿が書かれているそうです。巣箱を用いた養蜂の、最古の記録は紀元前1500年頃で、エジプトの墓の壁画に描かれているそうです。
その後、巣箱の改良と養蜂器具の進歩につれて、それに見合う蜜蜂の品種改良・家畜化が進んできたとされます。
西洋蜜蜂は家畜化された蜂です、採蜜能力は高く、逃亡もありません。
蜂蜜生産のためや、イチゴ、メロンなどのハウス内果菜類の交配にも西洋蜜蜂は不可欠です。逃亡癖のある日本ミツバチはハウス内の受粉に使うことは不可能だからです。
工事中です
Since icing sugar has proved to be an effective means of surveying bees for varroa mites,research has recently been conducted in Finland to gauge its effectiveness as a miticidein colonies. Fifteen grams of the sugar was dusted between the combs of two-storey
CHEMICAL CONTROL
colonies in mid-summer, with different combinations of days and times betweentreatments. Mite fall was then measured with paper boards below mesh screens.
The average mite fall on the treated colonies was between 47 and 56 times greater thanthe control colonies. A treatment once every 3 days showed the best results in reducingmites, although total efficiency of the method was not calculated.
Work still needs to be done to determine the best methods, but it appears that super-fineicing sugar together with mesh bottom boards may offer a bee-friendly (and even beestimulating) mite control alternative that can be used at all times of the year without fearof residues. Because the sugar interferes with the mite’s ability to cling to the bees, theresearcher suggests that mite resistance will not develop.