>>I think herd implies a high concentration though, and it is my understanding that feral bees tend to be spread out pretty far, which mitigates transmission. >>

Hello Jeremy,

Feral concentrations  can vary widely.  
Most estimates I would say range from
10 to 20 feral colonies per squire mile.
The quote below, tells of 7 feral colonies 
in a square mile, which I suppose
is far greater than the average number
of domestic honeybee colonies per 
square mile. 

=====
"In Oswego, a city in upstate New York, 
a search for all honey bee, Apis mellifera 
L., colonies in an area of 4.2 km2 
(1.6 square miles) revealed 12 colonies. 
All but one of the colonies were feral, living 
in tree cavities and the walls of buildings. 
The observed density was 2.7 colonies per 
km2 (7.0 feral colonies per square mile). "

(The population density of feral colonies of honey bees 
hymenoptera apidae in a city in upstate new york usa)
======

>>At least that's the theory I've been hearing (didn't Seeley do a study on feral mite levels and find that "resistant"
bees in the forest died if they were kept under commercial conditions or something). >>

This may be true, however, I understand
Seeley is again involved in a feral bee project,
so this suggests to me that he believes more
study is needed and perhaps has not enough 
evidence as of yet to say conclusively why
ferals survive in the wild.   

Best Wishes,
J. Waggle

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