Russian lines were developed from populations of the Russian Far East that have lived alongside Varroa far longer than European bees.

The background

Varroa's original host is the eastern honey bee. In the Far East the western honey bee came into contact with the mite decades before it reached Europe.

Those populations therefore underwent a longer period of natural selection under mite pressure — and lines were selected from them for breeding work.

The described characteristics

• Varroa tolerance: Slower mite population growth under comparable conditions
• Hygienic behaviour and grooming
• Rapid response to dearth: Brood rearing stops quickly
• Good wintering with frugal consumption
• High swarming tendency

The important qualification

Tolerance is not immunity. Monitoring remains necessary, and treatment when the threshold is exceeded remains necessary.

A beekeeper who stops measuring because the line is described as tolerant loses colonies.

The management differences

These lines behave differently from what many beekeepers expect:

• They swarm more readily, so the inspection interval matters more
• They respond faster to conditions, building up and shutting down more sharply
• They maintain queen cells more often, which is normal for them rather than a sign of swarming

Regional testing

A resistance claim should not be accepted without testing in your own conditions. Resistance behaviours are influenced by climate and forage.

The criterion that comes first

As with every line: a locally adapted line usually performs better than an imported one.

What any beekeeper can do without buying anything: measure hygienic behaviour, rear from the best colonies, requeen the worst, and leave drone comb in selected colonies.