> Seems to me Bill wilson told us back in the '70's about
> someone (maybe him) having bred a line of noticably AFB resistant bees
> within about 5 generations as an experiment.

Again from memory, it was at Ohio State, done back in the 40s or 50s?
 Started with two distinct lines: one that was claimed to be somewhat
resistant, one that was susceptible.  By the time they had done
selections and in breeding over about 5 generations, the first was so
resistant they could feed it spores pretty well direct.  The other
was so at risk you couldn't breathe over it after working an AFB
hive, so to speak.  But in selecting/breeding for the one
characteristic only, they lost just about everything else: the lines
were outrageously hard to handle, and deficient in just about every
other way.  But the point was made: resistance (and susceptibility)
to AFB can be changed through selective breeding...

I'll go find the reference later this AM and post it here - it was
very interesting work when you consider the time it was undertaken
and the magnitude of the question being attempted...



  (\      Nick Wallingford
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  (/      NZ Beekeeping http://www.beekeeping.co.nz

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