>This low reproduction explains the slow rate at which mite populations grow in savannah honeybee colonies
and may constitute the major adaptation allowing for colony survival.
The interesting part about the Strauss hypothesis is that it seems to suggest that the mechanisms driving resistance in the bee actually modified the mite's ability to reproduce - "clear evidence for resistance was found in the low fertility, fecundity and reproductive success of Varroa mite foundresses". Is Strauss suggesting that the savannah mite in question became less virulent biologically as a result of some mechanism at work in the bee? Or is Strauss suggesting that in the savanna, natural selection favored less virulent mites?
Bill Hesbach
Cheshire CT.
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