Claims whether extraordinary or not are meaningless without supporting evidence. That is the most basic principal of the scientific method. As regards varroa and claimed resistance, survival is not sufficient proof. As Charles pointed out many do extensive mechanical manipulations and claim resistance. Pete makes the point that isolation can explain survival of feral or otherwise isolated colonys. We have had this discussion many times. Randy, and others among us, is doing what must be done to make any kind of claim of resistance and that is counting mites and monitoring seasonal build-up. If you are not sampling and counting mites you may have some bees but you are not keeping bees IMHO.

Even given the case that someone had a line of bees that survived in average and large productive managed colonys over time (2 years or more)  treatment free, there could be no claim of resistance without supporting mite count numbers. If they are surviving with normal and building mite numbers (> 5%) that would be more of an indication of virus resistance or some other behavioral trait, then mite resistance. Certainly a valuable trait but not varroa resistance. If the line is keeping mite counts low in an environment exposed to other managed colonies and doing so over time we most definitely want to hear about it. Randy and others are doing that work and so far progress is painfully slow. Any claims must also be able to be replicated by others in different conditions. If it were easy it would have been done long ago.

Paul Hosticka
Dayton WA

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