In a message dated 11/20/99 9:18:02 AM, [log in to unmask] writes:

<<Bees have been around for at least 50 million years ( a long, long time).
They have probably evolved to being pretty near perfect.  I think we should
give them a break.  Let them choose their own mates.  We have introduced
them to the varroa mite which may have sealed their fate.  We don't seem to
be helping these animals at all!>>

There's no such thing as perfect in nature, because in nature, change is
constant. Your statement is a contradiction: Bees are perfect, yet their fate
(implying doom) may be sealed.
As an example of change, there have been huge alterations in the distribution
of plant species the world over. According to The Flora of North America,
anywhere from a fifth to a third of the species growing north of the
Mexico-U.S. border originated elsewhere, as did honey bees.
Nature is dynamic, in a constant state of flux. Humans have been agents of
change, trying to modify and harness that dynamism for a long time. Our
partnership with other species has not always been mutually beneficial. But
with honey bees, I think the partnership clearly is, and we are helping these
animals to be far more successful than they would be otherwise.
The change that is the most obvious to humans right now is the introduction
of varroa. We're helping honey bees beat varroa much quicker than they would
without us.