Dave wrote:

>    I've been doing this for about 10 years. I have captured four or
> five each year, (10 of them four years ago), and do not treat them
> in any way. This is only for swarms that I believe have been feral
> for quite awhile, not for those I know come from kept bees.

Dave, these questions are not directly toward you but for all to respond
to. I know that you are conducting a low level experiment, something I
often do.

1. What about maintaining the "purity" of the feral colonies? I would
think that they are casting swarms in a four year period and have new,
mated queens.

2. Unless the colonies are isolated from other drone mating areas, I
would think that not much is being learned, but if there is resistance,
transference might work both ways if all colonies (managed and feral)
are open mated.

3. If not, then only the "feral" bees resistance is diluted by bringing
in AI or store bought queens.

This whole issue is a lot more complex than we would like. Unless feral
colonies are totally isolated and varroa introduced, a lot can be
assumed but not much learned.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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