> Extraordinary claims can be very useful ... claims of resistant bees from the Prymorsky region

There were no such claims. Using the scientific method, the researchers sought a particular solution:

> The general rule that in time parasites become less virulent and that their hosts become more resistant, led Tom Rinderer and colleagues at the USDA lab at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA, to examine bees from the far east of Russia, where varroa had first been reported to be a problem. Preliminary field studies in the early 1990s led to importations of bees to the USA from the Primorsky region, near Vladivostock in 1997. After evaluation, these bees were released to commercial breeders in 2000, and studies have shown that the commercially available stocks are indeed more varroa tolerant than other commercial strains --Carreck, Norman. (2011). Varroa - still a problem in the 21st century?

Note, they do not say they are mite resistant, but "more varroa tolerant." This may not prevent the bees from succumbing but rather to delay it, or require less frequent treatment, both of which are valuable but not the magic bullet. On the other hand, many people claim the African bees are varroa proof, but where does that get you?

PLB

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