> If you bring bees from somewhere that has never seen Varroa or Tracheal
> are you better off or worse?
<snip>
> So it is not far off the mark to question the advisability of bring in a
> bee that has never seen Varroa or Tracheal, especially since it seems
> counter to everything else that is going on in the "stressed" rest of the
> world.
Very true. Questioning is very wise, especially if the questioning leads to
testing and learning based on facts. There are facts available, and it
would not take a lot of testing to verify them.
Firstly, it is not as if Australian bees have not been brought into North
America previously over a long period, and even transported to the US
previously as a result of sales of bees from Canada. Moreover, those who
did the first package imports into the US consulted with Canadians about
their extensive experience with Australian stock before doing so, and the
potential effects of mites was definitely one of their concerns. As I
stated previously, in my experience, there is little -- in that regard -- to
distinguish the Australian bees I have owned from the US bees I have owned.
Secondly, it is not as if the USA is populated on average by bees which are
highly tracheal resistant. It is not.
We've been through this before. Please refer to the chart at
http://www.honeybeeworld.com/diary/articles/tracheal.htm and take a good
look. Ask questions if you do not understand what is portrayed very clearly
there. It seems very obvious to me, but I guess others can't interpret the
data. What it says very clearly, in simple terms, is this:
Yes, there are some very resistant lines for sale in the US, BUT there are
also some *very* variable suppliers on the chart, and even some breeders
that proved *more susceptible* than the line that the lab intentionally
selected to be terrible!
You don't need to have Australian bees to be vulnerable to TM. Some of
those loser US strains may be in your yards right now, or last fall, at
least!
Any US beekeeper -- other than possibly those who have the Russian stock and
several other lines which are known for strong and consistent resistance --
who is not checking and/or treating for TM regularly and rigourously is
playing Russian roulette. There are just too many susceptible strains for
sale in the US to be confident that TM will not strike, so how does bringing
in a stock of unknown resistance change things?
* * * * *
I also do not share the certainty that tracheal mite resistance cannot exist
in the absence of challenge by the mites. Inasmuch as it is a combination
of traits, not AFAIK, a special trait, I assume that it can occur to varying
degrees anywhere.
* * * * *
Further, I question the assumption that the Australian bees are, by default,
susceptible due to lack of challenge. For one thing Australian breeders
have been importing stock over the years (not always legally) to address
exactly these issues, and also receiving reports from Canada as to customer
experience and satisfaction. Australian suppliers also visit our yards to
see for themselves, and there are even family members of Aussie breeders
running bees in Canada.
* * * * *
So far, this debate has been driven by ignorance and questionable
assumptions about the Australian bees, and ignorance of the levels of
susceptibility in US stock. The only thing that will resolve it is facts.
What is needed to put all the conjecture to rest is a repeat of the study
Baton Rouge did some time back. I think it would point to the cause of many
continuing losses.
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