Recently Krispn Given was promoted to Apiculture Specialist at Purdue University, for the past thirteen years Krispn has been working with Dr. Greg Hunt at Purdue University’s department of entomology. His responsibilities include, maintaining the 120 research colonies, running the Purdue honey bee breeding program, teaching an annual queen rearing short course, managing the honey bee laboratory and extension activities. Krispn also teaches the instrumental insemination class each year at the university, annually gives lectures to beekeepers around the country. His current breeding focus has been on selecting for behavioral resistance to varroa destructor and grooming behaviors. Dr. Greg Hunt and Krispn Given developed the “mite-biter” strain of bee’s that is starting to generate much interest around the country for beekeepers and breeders of honey bees.
Recently (2014 -2015) Krispn and Greg conducted a comparison study with 39 beekeepers where they looked at winter survival and number of mites per colony using 3 commercial sources against two Purdue sources. A total of 22% commercials and 59% Indiana mite biters survived; with 63% commercial and only 26% mite-biters dying over the winter! Commercial colonies had 3x more mites.
With constant selection Dr. Greg Hunt and Krispn Given have achieved about 50% chewed mites in their research colonies!
PHOTO CAPTION
Krispn Given demonstrating some of the technique for Dorthy Morgan of Ohio
