Hi Bob

> highest percentage  A m. melifera.
> 
> My partners in crime want to ask those U.K. A. m. melifera purists on 
> BEE-L *if* they have
> tried taking pure A.m. melifera and testing to see how well the bees do 
> with
> varroa untreated?

I am not an A. m. mellifera purist, but I am a champion of that race... 
I can tell you that several of us have been testing for more than ten 
years using only a very small amount of treatment, we have also been 
checking for hygienic behaviour for ten years using liquid nitrogen. The 
best hygienic strains (about two dozen) have been crossed and re-crossed
using instrumental insemination. We have strains that can tolerate very 
high levels of varroa infestation without collapse for about six years 
and I doubt that many A. m. mellifera colonies require as much treatment 
as beekeepers seem to throw at them, but there are no signs of total 
resistance although there appears to be a greater symbiosis between 
varroa mite and host.

-- 
Regards & Best 73s, Dave Cushman, G8MZY
http://melliferabees.net Email: [log in to unmask]
Short FallBack M/c, Build 7.21/2.01
Son of ORAC M/c, Build 5.o1/2.o1

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