The Phony War
G’day fellow beekeepers,
I have been taken to task, recently, with the language I’ve used when referring to the varroa invasion. On occasion I have made reference to ‘The Phony War’ and have subsequently been accused of not taking the problem seriously. This is absolutely not the case.
The phony war is a very specific period in British, and at the time, Empire history between the declaration of war in 1939 and the following 6 months. Nothing happened! At least not in terms of war fighting, however, it bought time for education, building up of supplies. mobilisation and training.
You can see why I might draw an analogy to this period in the case of varroa. It had arrived in Australia, and we had declared war on it, but it wasn’t here in South Gippsland. This was our opportunity to educate, accumulate equipment for alcohol washing, updating hive boxes and drawing drone comb etc. This was our time to prepare – our phony war! I stand by my description, but I apologise if I made members think the varroa invasion isn’t a disaster – it is. I also think that our club has demonstrated the same. We have organised talks, demonstrations and encouraged participation in field and Government sponsored training days.
Mention has been made of one member of the committee being adamant that chemicals would not feature in her apiary. This brings to mind another historical reference (sorry but it’s how my mind works)! Douglas Bader was a fearsome, brave and skilled RAF pilot who, in his earlier days, had lost both of his legs in a crash caused by his own enthusiasm and desire to show off his flying skills. Through sheer guts and determination, he survived and went on to become an ace in the sky.
When training his young pilots, he was determined to develop in them the highest skills so they would be effective and have the best chance of survival. He developed the phrase ‘do as I say, not as I do’.
Similarly, just because one club member expresses the desire to be chemical free it doesn’t follow that others emulate that. Varroa is an extraordinary opponent that has conquered the world in under 120 years. It breeds rapidly and is extremely hardy. Worldwide, chemical control has been found to be efficacious and somewhat effective, if not completely so. Beekeepers have spent years integrating hive management techniques using them to reduce mite numbers to the point of colony survival with reasonable honey production. Non-chemical control is certainly out there, and some have been successful, but determined, researched and consistent attention is needed.
No one in the club will dictate what you must do to manage your bees. I have often said there are as many ways of keeping bees as there are members. That said, there are recommendations and basic techniques that we all do, and the approved way of managing varroa is the way Ag Vic, VAA, GA and we recommend. If you are not sure, ask. There are lots of people who are happy to help and advise. Collectively the club has much knowledge upon which we can base our varroa campaigns.
Keep learning people, to quote another famous leader, ‘Be prepared’ (Baden Powell).
Andy Teitge
President