>>It doesn't take a geneticist to realize that the effect
may be due to some other factor besides genetic resistance. 

Like the natural comb?

>>Perhaps the new model of the honey bee colony will attempt to have queens and drones reared from as many different lines as possible...

I think this would be great for scientific reasons.  Such crosses might prove less productive than the existing lines and, therefore, be not embraced by the industry. 

>>Personally, I believe that collecting feral swarms is the least promising. After all, you can get the same results by simply making splits and letting them requeen themselves.

True but the only difference is human aid does not help ferals survive the winters and mites.  If they survive on their own, they have perservered on their own.  If you make and keep splits, you will help them perserve.  I do. 

>>Wild bees are definitely a vector of AFB.

Do you find a lot of AFB in the ferals by you?  I have yet to find one with AFB here.

Waldemar

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