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50 SEEDWORLD.COM DECEMBER 2015 Universal Coating Systems is dedicated to your seed coating needs. OVER 30 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE with equipment design manufacturing and installation on every continent on the globe. From the smallest laboratory system to complete large-scale seed coating plants. For all your seed needs weve got you covered. Universal Coating Systems is dedicated to your seed CONTACT Dave Waldo c 503-507-3499 p 503-838-6568 e daveuniversalcoating.net www.ucoatsystems.com Dave Waldo POLYMERS COLORANTS Seed coating polymers that provide a smooth even coverage Many color offerings. Give your coated seed a natural appearance with UNICOAT NUDE Custom blending We know that when honeybees are doing well large infesta- tions of Varroa mites are never far behind. The rule of thumb is that Varroa does best in strong colonies but even so there may be more happening here. For years management-minded beekeepers have relied on Apivar amitraz strips to keep mite infestations in check. This year were hearing widespread reports that suggest this treatment isnt working as well as it has in the past. Our testing suggests that Apivar is still the most effec- tive product out there but we have seen control failures when re-infestation pressure is high as well as some tests that show efficacy is lower than expected. Since there are few effective treatments for Varroa and these mites are prone to develop resistance the potential loss of this acaricide from our manage- ment toolbox is very concerning. Whats most troubling about this unwelcome news is that it should be no surprise since Varroa has caused massive colony losses before most recently during the winter of 2012-2013. Since Varroa first became established in North America during the latter half of the 1980s beekeepers have been playing catch-up in their efforts to manage this parasite. Just a few years ago the National Honey Bee Health Stakeholder Conference identified Varroa as the single most detrimental pest of honeybees and other scientists have shown that it remains a leading cause of colony failure. And despite all the attention focused on honeybee health in the past decade we seem no closer to solving this par- ticular problem or preventing these cyclic colony losses. There Is Hope This year I had the pleasure of working alongside Dewey Caron and other experts associated with the Honey Bee Health Coalition to release a new Varroa Management Guide which offers beekeepers practical effective methods of monitor- ing and controlling this invasive pest. At Bayer we are seeking and testing new varroacides as well as more efficient delivery systems to better manage infestations. Complementing this research is our Smart Hives initiative which is designed to moni- tor honey bee colonies remotely and non-invasively using digital sensor technology to provide real-time alerts that can allow for rapid responses and more effective management practices. Additionally other scientists are looking to improve honeybee genetics to increase the bees tolerance to the Varroa parasite. For now there is little beekeepers can do to change the hand theyve been dealt. Winter normally is a stressful time for colo- nies but high mite infestations make this years situation particu- larly challenging and I am expecting the worst. I hope Im wrong about the consequences associated with the levels of Varroa were seeing. Regardless the two things Im sure of is that hon- eybees are not at risk of going extinct and that beekeepers are an extremely resilient group. I know the bee industry will bounce back as beekeepers adapt and reach new levels of expertise to address what is the new normal in apiculture. As a scientist and beekeeper Im frustrated that no silver bullet has yet been found to consistently manage the Varroa mite. What I can tell you is that Bayer and other members of our industry wont stop working until we finally rid ourselves of the damage caused by this destructive pest. SW