> To truly find the *varroa tolerant hive* you have to keep adding varroa load
> until you find the bee which can take the added varroa pressure.

Bob, I've followed your articles, and greatly appreciate your efforts
at educating beekeepers.  In the new Journal of Apicultural research,
there are two papers by (variously) Drs Villa, Harbo, Danka, and
Harris.  Their testing of lines includes added varroa pressure by
inserting frames of heavily infested brood.  Their VSH lines removed
61% of mites in 40 hrs, and 68% in a week.  After 10 weeks, mite
populations were reduced by 60%.

These colonies were not tested on a honeyflow in the Dakotas, but I
feel that the researchers should be commended for making excellent
progress.  Progress in VSH is one of three important factors in the
creation of a truly mite resistant bee.  I will discuss the others
when I have a bit more time.

I'm glad to hear you mention Dann Purvis.  His concept of a
"challenge" yard is key not only for screening for parasite resistant
stocks, but also to effect epigenetic upregulation of resistance genes
that then are preactivated in that queen's progeny.

> When you feed pollen patties and constant syrup like in California before
> almonds you are raising bees but also raising varroa.

That makes perfect sense, and I also assumed that that would be the
case.  However, recent field data by Dr Frank Eischen do not support
that hypothesis.  He did not find that fall pollen supp feeding
increased mite levels!  We could use more data on this subject.

Randy Oliver
Cleaning out the honey house--this year we are resolved not to let
honey granulate in the pipes yet again when we are finished
extracting!

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