Continuing on risk avoidance:

Apparently, selection for avoidance of potential sources of diseases and parasites did not occur, suggesting that parasites and diseases have not been important selective agents in the natural history of honey bees.



Pete,   I think your missing my point.  The author you cited claimed bees were bad at risk avoidance.  I disagree.  First off much of the history of genetic avoidance, we know absolutely nothing about! 
A couple of decades back we didn't know squat about bees, and what they were actually suffering from.  Take the Isle of wight issue,  how fast did that fade?  Or the "disappearing diseases" mentioned in some of the older books?  The reality is the bees genetics have quite successfully fought off many things,  from Africanized genetics being quick to abscond, and attack anything that looks like an ape,  to European bees preferring tree cavities that bears don't find as easy. ( yes I am aware those are not really diseases  but would call them a parasite issue)
  
The quote you cited seemed to me to be extremely shortsighted.  We have zero to little at best of what diseases and parasites the bees have quite successfully avoided. If in fact we look at recent history,  as randy has pointed to we have to say they have adapted pretty darn quickly.  While we all wish it was faster,  it seems to me to be quite a bit of a stretch to say selection of avoidance has not occurred.

Charles



	

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