Moving to another issue, varroa resistant bees, as late as 2010, researchers are still referring to the *potential* to establish Varroa resistance 

In Gotland, an island of the Baltic Sea, Fries et al. (2006) described the survival of 150 honey bee colonies that were subject to the Bond test. Five of the colonies survived over 5 years.  

To survey the success of selection programs for Varroa resistance, 14 European strains of bees were compared on an isolated Adriatic island (Unije, Croatia) over a period of 2.5 years At the end of the experiment most of the colonies had died, with only 15 colonies still alive. 

High survival rates in some local populations and significant variability in the mite infestation levels between breeding lines convincingly demonstrate there is *potential* to establish Varroa resistance in European Apis mellifera populations.  

However, the resistance mechanisms are complex and are still only partially understood. Furthermore, resistance does not occur as an isolated interaction between a host colony and its parasite, but depends on hive management and environmental conditions, including other pathogens. 

Breeding for resistance to Varroa destructor in Europe
Ralph Buchler, Stefan Berg, Yves Le Conte

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