> Simply compare the length of a generation of each species and the existing
> number of variations in the current gene pool of each species.  In a given
> hive bees have 1 to a dozen  or so different sets of genes...  With mites
> you can easily have several hundred different sets...

I don't see why the mites, most females of which will breed with a brother,
would have that many more *different* sets of genes than honey bees, queens
of which may breed with distant hives, except where mites from several
diverse sources heavily infest a colony.  I assume that this latter case is
not all that common except in a migratory situation where hives are moved to
a common location, since mites are not able to fly except on a bee.  What am
I missing?

allen