> Less virulent varroa is not self-deception. Not until someone brings a nuc or a hive into the area, or puts a load of bees in a temporary holding yard between pollination placements. Drifting bees from those hives will bring some virulent varroa in. > Varroa is made more and more virulent through our treatments How? > just as microbes causing human disease become more and more virulent Is resistance to treatment the issue of concern here? I don't think we want to confuse that with the separate issue of virulence. > Making the choice to value the individual > hive over the species as a whole is a poor > animal husbandry decision. But is the answer, as "Metro Propolis" said so eloquently back in September, "trying to re-route course of evolution, two dead hives at a time"? > Feral bees are finding ways to overcome varroa in my area But how will fare a few miles down the road? *********************************************** 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