Hi all
I apologize for plunging headlong into this topic without a lead up. The lead up was a note from a friend of mine, who suggested:

> I wanted to share with you another very promising technology and possibility for developing disease resistant honey bees using genetic modification techniques. Because of the current sense of concern about genetic modification within certain sectors of society, I have been aware that genetic modification techniques would probably not be welcomed by some.  On the other hand, I have thought on numerous occasions over the past 25 years or so..that GM could be a way to replicate certain parts of the genome of A. mellifera to be similar to A. cerana in terms of Varroa resistance. The article I’ve linked below describes precisely what I’m talking about in terms of modifying certain parts of the A. mellifera genome.  See what you think.
 
https://igtrcn.org/improved-honeybee-germline-transformation/

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I said, part:
I don’t think the article says what you suggest. They are developing techniques for genetic experimentation in the lab, not for field trials of economically beneficial traits.

and then continued with what I posted here, about GM honey bees being not ready for prime time, etc.

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This was his reply, in part
> Seems like we are getting into some sort of intellectual disagreement about the “morality” of genetic modification, Whether we like it or not, genetic modification of organisms is here-now. The fact that they are now looking at and working on A. mellifera as an organism to be modified should come as no surprise to any of us.

> We won’t be able to do so anyway..if I may suggest here.  So...why not try to “go with the flow” more about what’s happening? I’m not trying to be flippant here.  Only suggesting that we all need to be working with the reality of what is happening now..not dragging our feet because we ideologically disagree with what’s happening.
 
> What I was mainly interested in doing..in sending you that article below..was to show that there is genetic work being done here-and-now to modify the genome of A. mellifera through genetic modification techniques. I personally feel that this work can result in positive results (particularly regarding Varroa resistance).  But that we as interested beekeepers and beekeeping scientists will have to remain engaged..and alert in offering our “constructive criticisms” about what’s being done.

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I responded with:
I worked in a genetics lab for ten full years, before I retired. There is not the level of understanding of genetics that you are suggesting. We were studying reproductive functions which is incredibly complex. Behavioral genomics is far more complex. We know next to nothing about genes that may or may not affect behavior. You are talking about changing the behavior of honey bees via genetic modification. There is no real evidence that they will ever be possible. 

I am not saying that it won’t but simply that we have no idea how it would be done. Look at what happened when some rogue Chinese researcher went against accepted guidelines and produced a genetically altered human being. He set the field backwards, not forwards. Even the Chinese were adamant that these experiments should not be carried out by rogue investigators. 

So, before GM honey bees would ever be produced, the procedures would be scrutinized by panels of experts. In the end, it might be too expensive to do. A decade ago, everyone was talking about treating bee viruses with RNA interference. It turns out the product cannot be made economically, according to experts I spoke with at the company trying to make it. 

Fact is, there are solutions for problems, like cancers, that are simply too expensive to be used by any but the rich and famous. The honey bee industry is a low profit business and cannot afford $150 hand mated queens, or RNA doses at $50 per hive. I think the future is to hunker down, trim costs, and focus on pollination and/or honey markets. 

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This was the response:
> Seems like we will just have to respectfully agree to disagree on this one my friend.

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If you read what I posted on Bee-L, you will see that I am not opposed to studying the genome and identifying candidate genes which may improve the honey bee in ways many of us wish for. This is called "Marker Assisted Selection" which allows to preselect breeders with the "right stuff" instead of going through laborious and time consuming field trials or proxy tests. This is modern breeding technique, not GM honey bees. SEE:

Guarna, M. M., Hoover, S. E., Huxter, E., Higo, H., Moon, K. M., Domanski, D., ... & Desai, S. (2017). Peptide biomarkers used for the selective breeding of a complex polygenic trait in honey bees. Scientific reports, 7(1), 8381. 

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