[log in to unmask] wrote:

>this same dynamic plays out with microbes....they strike a balance between stealing from their host and not killing the host.

Hmm. Like HIV? Exactly what would prevent germs from killing their
host? Do they think "hey boys, ease up on this guy, we might lose
him"?

Some species learn to coexist, some do not. Some species survive and
others do not. Some parasites mutate and adapt to new host species.

But closer to home, varroa doesn't kill bee colonies? In fact, Dr.
Wenner took varroa mites to an island off the California coast for the
express purpose of eradicating honey bees (a non-native species, off
course). The bees died, and the varroa too. Perhaps he wished, like
you, that the bees would develop varroa resistance so that he could
propagate queens from that stock, but he was hired to get rid of the
bees and varroa did it.

pb

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