Hi All,
        Isle of Wight disease or acarine first appeared in Britain in 1904 and
killed about 95 percent of the colonies.  Brother Adam spent a lot of
time dealing with this disease and came to the conclusion that
resistance to the disease was hereditary.  This conclusion would seem
fit the conditions which exist today.  The resistant bees have
flourished and the susceptible ones have died out.  It is interesting to
note that he says that imported bees from North America and New Zealand
were extremely susceptible to Acarine! (I hope that Nick Wallingford is
not reading this!)  It seems that althought we have acarine in Britain
today our bees seem not to be to bothered with it.  It would seem to be
a case of Evolution working well.  It seems a pity that we are so
compelled to kill off the varroa mite.  Perhaps we should just let it
take its course.  We might be left with a race of varroa resistant bees!
--
Harry
Scotland
 
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