> The field is kinda like it was in the 
> '60's with plate tectonics--there is 
> a paradigm shift going on. 

Plate tectonics had hard data behind it, and had (very!) long-term effects
that could be measured.  Epigenetics, not so much. 

> Will take a while for us to fully understand.  

When phrases like "our understanding... is rapidly expanding" and "paradigm
shift" crop up, these are red flag warnings that speculation overshadows
data.  The term "paradigm shift" pulls us away from science and into
post-modernist deconstructionism, as a "paradigm shift" is only plausible to
someone who believes that absolutely everything is mere social construction.
 
I see that Christina has also taken exception to the use of the term
"transgenerational".  I think the more accurate term would be "transitory".

For the record, the assertion that "Mother Nature has used the Bond Method
for some 3.5 billion Years" is extremely inaccurate.  The actual "Bond
Method" involves the deliberate introduction of overwhelming varroa
pressure, such as moving in large amounts of drone comb, and doing nothing
to help the bees cope with the varroa.  This is done in the (vain) hope that
the survivors will show useful mite-resistant traits.  To date, these hopes
have been not rewarded with success, hence the backpedaling to various
"Modified Bond Methods".

The basic problem with the Bond approach is that one cannot create useful
traits that did not exist in the mix of bee genetics with which you started.
The approach of killing off most of one's bees is a slow spiral down to a
far more limited pool of genes from which to breed, which dooms the breeding
program as a whole. 

Introducing Russian, VSH, or Marla's queens makes "Bond Method" look like it
works in the same exact manner that drone-comb removal makes powdered sugar
dusting look like it works.  In both cases, the 1st technique works alone,
and there is no need for the 2nd, which does not work alone, and does not
make the 1st work any better.

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