In a message dated 4/20/00 6:39:40 PM, [log in to unmask] writes:

<< My only point is not to put down the lab or Dr. Erickson but to discuss
if he really has got bees which will survive Varroa likes he claims. I
believe at 12-16 mites per 100 bees he needs to go back to the drawing
board.  >>

If Dr. Erickson has bred a honeybee that functions well without crashing
while carrying a mite load of 12-16 mites per 100 bees, this may be progress.
If honeybees and varroa mites can establish a symbiotic relationship where
they can live together, the way a parasite and its host are supposed to live,
then we may have a solution to the problem.
   The way we come to think about a solution to varroa may be a lot like the
way we think about Integrated Pest Management. The presence of a pest alone
isn't enough to warrant treatment, it's whether the prevalence of pest is
great enough to merit concern.
   You say the number should be lower than what Dr. Erickson has found in his
hives. It seems you are debating the numbers but both advocating the same
curative scenario. I'm glad you've brought Erickson's work to my attention. I
hope one of the U.S. bee journals will publish it soon. If his work has been
published already, can somebody please post the reference?