Yoon said:
, and finally that the bees in the south have gone
through that process longer than the ones in the north--could it be
possible that the bees in the south have learned to *put up with* T mites
better than the ones in the north?

When we first saw TM very few hives survived so the beekeepers which had TM
the longest were the first to bounce back as the most susceptable bees had
allready died off.

The problem in the north Yoon is the overwintering with a high TM
infestation.

 My opinion which I have presented before on BEE-L many times is simple.
Generally speaking black races (carniolans) tolerate TM better than the
yellow races (Italians). ALTHOUGH THROUGH BREEDING ALL RACES CAN BE BRED TO
BETTER HANDLE TM

 When not selected for TM tolerance the carniolans seem to handle TM better
than most Italians.  Many beekeepers never have had to treat for TM when
running carniolans and they raise their own queens and have never selected
for TM resistance.

Myself and many researchers disagree on the amount of TM  which is
acceptable in a colony.

Bob