Peter Borst wrote:

> Small cell size and varroa -- A summary and assessment of current information.

<snip>

>  Personally, I am disturbed by
> the fact that the two mostly widely publicized studies (possibly the
> only ones) have been conducted in southern Arizona. This area has
> been infiltrated by Africanized bees and that alone could account for
> reductions in varroa populations. It has been reported that the
> Africanized bee in South America can coexist with the mite.

Thank you for writing up this very logical and insightful message, and yes, it
bothers me also that the only studies on this problem have been done in
africanized honey bee areas. The AHB has certainly controlled and changed the
behavior of beekeepers, and I cannot see why the mites' behavior would not also be
changed by the experience.
-----------------------------------------------------------
John F. Edwards
Carl Hayden Bee Research Center
Agricultural Research Service - USDA
Tucson, Arizona 85719

http://198.22.133.109/
http://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/home/edwards/edwards.html