Pete, I understand your skepticism, but I find it hard not to observe the
resurgence of ferals in many areas, nor the number of non-interventive bee
havers who manage to have a substantial number of colonies survive for more
than two years. This is a change from the late 1990's to early 2000's when
few colonies in non Africanized areas would survive for more than a year.
I'm hardly about to promote treatment-free beekeeping for all--I hate to
think of all the colonies that needlessly suffer from a slow and ugly death
from varroa parasitism. And of all the surrounding colonies that then pick
up their mites when they die.
But I fully support informed beekeepers who are working with feral and
survivor stock. You and I can both project the course of bee/mite
evolution. It's a process, and the process is happening.
--
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com
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