Case in point: Tom Seeley. 
>But he was also one of the first to document that queens raised from so-called feral hives did not convey resistance to their colonies.

Hello,

I enjoyed the history of beekeeping.

We now know that the local population
has MUCH to do with varroa levels at the
colony level.  Did Seeley isolate the colonies, as 
recommended on this list with Russians etc.?

In this fast changing world of 
beekeeping we live in today,  what
Seeley discovered (perhaps 10 years 
ago) probably does not apply to 
the ferals today.

Honeybees have managed to make
rapid improvement in resistance
over 10 years.  What was then,
is not now.  What is history is
probably just that; -history,
and not applicable to the present.

I would enjoy seeing current research.

Heres some more beekeeping history.

I first noticed ferals recoverg in my
area around 2002. The date I set for
a healthy breeding population in ferals 
is the year 2006 when my colonies 
experienced a vast improvement in 
brood viability.  The date for the 
surge in feral population was about
the year 2010.  And this year I
believe ferals are at 80% of what 
they once were, but is still sufficient
to be the dominate force in my area.

Best Wishes,
Joe Waggle
SW PA

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