Are varroa the problem or are the virus diseases vectored by varroa the problem? Should we be selecting for a varroa that does not vector viruses? Is there some DNA/RNA approach that could help such an effort?
If the real problem is viruses it seems to me it is not in varroas best interest to vector viruses. Say, for the sake of argument, that a 5% level of varroa without the virus issue is tolerable by the average hive. Even if a 5% level of varroa without the added virus problems lead to a 5% loss of productivity of the hive I do not think anyone would be able to detect that loss. It is pretty easy to control varroa at that level. I am pretty sure that a 5% level of varroa does not cause winter hive deaths. Most untreated hives would go into the first winter with that level of varroa or even higher yet typically survive the first winter and die the second.
Dick
" Any discovery made by the human mind can be explained in its essentials to the curious learner." Professor Benjamin Schumacher talking about teaching quantum mechanics to non scientists. "For every complex problem there is a solution which is simple, neat and wrong." H. L. Mencken
***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html
