randy oliver wrote:

>  a true feral population will
> eventually reestablish, as reported by the likes of Tom Seeley 

He spoke to us at the Maine State Beekeepers meeting this year, and 
his NY ferals are alive because of what he said was vertical 
resistance, not horizontal resistance. I specifically asked him if the 
ferals would do well in an apiary and he answer was an unequivocal  "No".

In essence, vertical resistance is found in isolated colonies, where a 
balance is eventually arrived at between Varroa and host. However, if 
you bring in another colony with Varroa, you have horizontal Varroa 
input and colonies that seem to be Varroa resistant, crash.

So Tom's bees are not the hoped for resistant bee that some might 
think. In time they might be, but not now.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

****************************************************
* General Information About BEE-L is available at: *
* http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm   *
****************************************************