Bravo, Peter. You've just eloquently synopsized why mite treatment--at this point in history--is so important. The 3 most common adaptations that we read provide mite resistance: 
-- Size (viability of small-cell foundation disproven in the literature); 


-- Hygienic behavior (the more hygienic the activity, the less productive the hive. Often, too, I've found, the more aggressive the bee); 

-- and Swarming (Smaller populations produce less product, and you spend all your time splitting or inhibiting splits); 
  
are all counterproductive to (at least) honey production. And how do you put a high-swarming hive on pollination duty? 
  
Brother Adam specifically selected against swarming tendency in developing the Buckfast hybrid, and considered large hive population the key ingredient for optimal honey production. 
  
"Of all the qualities a strain may poses, there is probably none more important than a disinclination to swarm. A strain may possess every desired characteristic, but a highly developed swarming instinct will effectively neutralize the economic value." --Brother Adam, Beekeeping at Buckfast Abbey 

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