>Is there are "landscape scale" solution? The fact that there is so much
talk clearly signals "no, not yet". Will this solution come from the
beekeepers, or from the folks with statistically significant data sets and
refereed papers in legit journals?
I certainly agree that any claims ultimately need to be backed-up by
observable research and field trials. And I am unaware of anyone making the
claim that landscape scale resistance is ubiquitous.
But as to the question of peer-reviewed research into the question, I'd
submit that Dr. S.J. Martin is at the forefront of the effort to study and
attempt to characterize the mechanism(s) at work in emerging populations
around the globe:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Stephen-Martin-24
We have his work and results from Cuba as an example of what might be
possible in the Northern Hemisphere in the right conditions - and he is
quite clear eyed when assessing the US situation (as compared to other
populations he has studied).
If you haven't already, the interview below with him is well worth the
investment. Near the end he outlines discussions he had with Dr. Spivak and
their combined observations that VSH colonies in a high mite load
environment can fail due to an external mite pressure that causes them to
uncap too much brood and fail to effectively turn-over - suggesting that (as
many of us intuitively appreciate) intensive beekeeping practices and mass
migratory operations will likely swamp landscape-scale progress without a
coordinated genetic response:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/natural-varroa-resistant-honey-bees-an
d-small-hive-beetles/id1494010558?i=1000494064470
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