> ...So he swapped queens. After a break of a few weeks to get a new set of young bees in each hive, the proportions of damaged mites reversed, following the queens. Thus mite-damaging behavior is inherited and therefore selectable rather than learned behavior. Interesting. Was there increased mite drop associated with the mite damage? Were any other measures made? I realise this is a very limited and anecdotal test, but it is something we can all repeat quite easily on our own hives. I recall there was an attempt to select for this somewhere in southeast Europe a decade or more back, but this is the first I have heard recently. *********************************************** The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html Guidelines for posting to BEE-L can be found at: http://honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm