>Upon what are you basing that claim?
For one, as I've said several times, that, to my knowledge Acarapis woodi is dependent on a single host, Apis mellifea. That sort of dependence of a parasite to a host doesn't appear overnight.
Second, as I've said earlier, the female reproductive tracheal mite is particularly drawn to younger bees...which is necessary for their reproductive success. The ability to specifically identify younger bees is relatively sophisticated behavior that, I can't imagine appearing overnight.
And third,as you yourself pointed out....there were adapted honey bees in North America. Either they developed that adaption by random coincidence or there was an earlier exposure and the adaption was a product of some evolutionary process.
Again...these are just my layman's opinions....and I'm open to reasons why they don't point to a parasite/host coevolution.
What convinces you otherwise?
I must apologize in advance to being unable to continue this dialog. I will be away from the computer for the next couple of weeks. I will be happy to see your alternative explanation when I am back.

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