>On the surface this sounds like wishful thinking by folks who are not
required to think deeply.

Below the surface is some clear thinking.  Jerry is quite knowledgeable
about beekeeping (I've worked with him on several occasions).

I recently assisted him in having a sample from a feral colony analyzed.
From the report:
"your results are interesting. we have completed the mtDNA sequence
analysis of the two samples. the sample from the Navaho Reservation is
haplotype O1. This belongs to the O lineage of honey bees which is
originally from the Middle East and includes A. m. antolica and A. m.
cypria. we have found this haplotype before from feral colonies in
Oklahoma, Missouri, and Mississippi. Bees of this lineage have not bee
found in genetic studies of queen breeders in the US, so it probably
represents a colony that can trace its maternal lineage back to the
original introduction of this lineage to the US back in the late 1800's."

The isolation of Moab, and the survival of this mitotype are of interest to
those wishing to bring varroa-resistant stock.

As someone who has been driven out of desirable areas by having other
commercial beekeepers set thousands of hives on top of my 20-yr locations,
I can fully empathize with the beekeepers of Moab.  Why let someone else
mess up a good thing?

-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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