> On Sep 8, 2015, at 10:09 PM, randy oliver <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> 

> With the rapid movement of any successful strain of mites by either robbing

> or human-aided transport, it's difficult for me to imagine how any non

> isolated population of bees would not be invaded by the most virulent

> strain of mites. 



This is affirmed by Moritz and all:





The consequences of keeping the introduced Western honeybee and the native Asian species

is a most unfortunate example of transhumance having devastating consequences by promoting

the global spread of parasites and associated viruses. Since apiculture has

facilitated the global transmission of Varroa, selection will inevitably favor the most virulent

types in A. mellifera as seen for the global spread of the Korean haplotype.



Beaurepaire, A. L., Truong, T. A., Fajardo, A. C., Dinh, T. Q., Cervancia, C., & Moritz, R. F. (2015). 

Host Specificity in the Honeybee Parasitic Mite, Varroa spp. in Apis mellifera and Apis cerana. PloS one, 10(8), e0135103.



By the way, they are referring to “virulent types” of mites, implying different behaviors in the mites, rather than attributing virulence to the virus load



P





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