> you give the impression that their hypothesis pop out of thin air

No, that is definitely not true. I quoted the article you cited and they said:

> Russian far east is almost certainly where currently existing honey bee populations have been exposed to varroa for the longest time... It can be hypothesized then that it is in Primorsky Territory of Russia that natural selection has had its best chance at molding bees able to withstand parasitism by Varroa jacobsoni.

The hypothesis did not come out of thin air, it was generated by the method described above. I support the concept, and the resultant hypothesis. I also support the results that flowed from their decades of work on the Russian bee and varroa resistance. What I am saying is that they did not _start_ with claims, they started with _inquiry_. They did not claim anything until they had results that could be used by American beekeepers. 

Fact is, I have talked with Tom Rinderer in person on several occasions and I have immense respect for him, his career and his accomplishments. He is not the sort of person that makes a claim first and then tries to support it. He uses the scientific method, which proceeds in the opposite direction: from theory to testing to results, which are honestly and fairly reported as either supporting or refuting the original hypothesis.

PLB

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