> Is it correct there has been reports of lowered vitality all over where western honeybees are kept?  If so does not that suggest one major cause that has affected all areas  - increase in viruses spread by varroa mites? 

IBRA Science Director Norman Carreck says: "The results of these experiments show that the locally adapted strains of honey bee consistently performed better than the "foreign" strains. This may seem logical to many bee scientists, but may come as something as a shock for many beekeepers who believe that purchased queens are likely to be in some way “better” than the bees that they already have in their own hives. There is growing evidence of the adverse effects of the global trade in honey bees, which has led to the spread of novel pests and diseases. These papers which provide evidence that locally-adapted honey bee strains consistently perform better than imported strains may thus strengthen local bee breeding programmes, and encourage the use of locally bred queens over those imported from elsewhere".

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