tomas mozer:
>if there are no wild apis populations surviving in ny state/elsewhere, perhaps a similar bottleneck scenario as caused by limited available germ plasm diversity

Yes, but we have never relied on "wild" or "native" bees. We have purchased bees from as many sources as possible. With bees coming in from Yugoslavia, Russia, Georgia, and California, it seems that there would be enough variation. All the same, I would like to see importing opened back up so we could really mix it up. We have nothing to lose and perhaps something to gain.

pb