>> (I had been adding hygienic and supposedly varroa tolerant stock).

> I would be interested in your opinion on how you would rank the queens you 
> have been using.

I have no real way short of using liquid nitrogen, which I did not.  The 
fact that I was seeing patterns tending towards shotgun that got more solid 
up when I medicated suggests that they were hygienic.  The fact that I saw 
some AFB breakdown eventually suggests that they were being challenged and 
responding well up to that point.  What was interesting was that the most 
prolific hive was the first to show AFB this year. (Bob will comment, I am 
sure).

> What I know about hygienic queens is their daughters should pull larva 
> infected with brood diseases before it is visibly noticeable?

Yes, and they should also refill those cells if the queen is good, to create 
a fairly solid pattern although that does not always happen, or happen 
immediately.

> I understand how they are developed but having difficulty in my mind in 
> how that trait is maintained at a high level without a high level of 
> consistent pressure from brood disease/mites as it is a recessive gene. My 
> thought is in an isolated breeding yard this trait may recess to match the 
> need in the breeding yard but may not be up to par outside that 
> environment where a higher level  expression of that trait may be needed.

This is the problem, and why most beekeepers rely on breeders to do that 
work, and buy queens regularly to boost the levels and frequency resistance 
traits in their yards.

It is also also why researchers are working hard at identifying and proving 
markers for quickly and easily identification of queens with or without the 
desired traits using proteomics.  Current methods are slow, expensive, and 
almost impossible for the casual beekeeper or for beekeepers who are 
occupied with other things like producing honey, pollinating, raising queens 
in quantity or working at a second job.  (That is not to say that it is 
impossible.  There are some talented and devoted amateurs).

Selection requires education, work and discipline. 

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