>> [R&D] on stricter mite control and rather than
>> campaigning on pesticides and reduced nutrition? 
>> Or is that too simple?

> Yes, too simple.  This should not be an either/or.  
> All are equally important: no point [mite and virus free]
> if they are to be damaged by pesticides or unable to 
> find sufficient forage.

But if pesticides and/or lack of forage were a significant problem, then one
would find bees thriving where there is ample forage, and where pesticides
are not used.  

One doesn't.  
One stark example is the "Blue Mountains" area of Jamaica.  Since varroa
arrived, losses have been terrible.  Pesticide use is negligible, as there
is little farming on the steep hillsides.  Forage is far more than adequate,
with re-blooms and re-charging of nectar with every 3:30pm rainstorm,
typical for tropical and sub-tropical locations.

Another example is Manhattan, where my hives suffer from levels of varroa no
different from anyone else's hives, yet they enjoy no pesticide exposure,
and a spring tree bloom that is infinite, with so few hives to exploit the
blooms.  Basswood/Linden is just now starting, and I may harvest next week,
and slap wet supers back on for a second harvest of just the Basswood.  So,
while I may enjoy good crops, I will still be splitting everything in sight
come fall, just to stay ahead of my losses.

And I still wanna know why we can't get the mileage we used to get from
queens.  If dogs and cats suddenly started dying at 5 years, rather than
living to 10 and 15, it would be front-page news.  

So, from my small but unique sample set, Robin's view seems more accurate. 

I do not think that Australia cannot provide us with a valid dataset in
terms of gestalt "colony success", as they have experienced widespread and
severe drought since 2002.  The government decided to end the subsidy paid
to offset drought-related losses, but the farmers see things differently.

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