Chair’s Evening – Winter Talk – Seeking Varroa Resistance

A talk by Rhona Toft

Rhona Toft has been keeping bees with her husband Richard for 26 years. The beekeeping hobby grew into a small business and they currently manage around 60 colonies of local bees in the South of Worcestershire. While still hobbyists they transitioned their bees off of varroacides and selected for Varroa resistance, something that Rhona has been fascinated by ever since. Their colonies have been managed without the use of Varroacides since 2007 and been part of Prof Stephen Martin’s research into Varroa resistance. Rhona is a member of the ‘VarroaResistant.UK’ team, a member of the Bee Farmers’ Association and a BBKA Master Beekeeper.