>I find it interesting that these two statements seem to be at opposite ends of the spectrum where the first points to very specific environmentally tethered effects whereas the other seems to decouple behavior from the environment, pointing to the commonality of the in-hive environment where varroa mites actually live.

I suspect these studies (referenced below) are not as divergent as might appear on the surface. The first takes a deep-dive into the mechanisms undergirding uncapping/recapping in resistant colonies while the second attempts to outline the traits common to resistant populations around the globe, discovering that uncapping/recapping is one such trait- without exploring the environment or mechanisms at work in these populations.

Dr. Martin in fact does spend a good bit of time exploring the nuances of uncapping/recapping and hygienic behavior in general in the following interview with Dr. Jamie Ellis and Amy Vu:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/natural-varroa-resistant-honey-bees-and-small-hive-beetles/id1494010558?i=1000494064470

Near the end he outlines discussions he had with Dr. Spivak and their combined observations that VSH colonies in a high mite load environment can fail due to an external mite pressure that causes them to uncap too much brood and fail to effectively turn-over, suggesting that hygienic behavior might not be sufficient to establish resistant populations in areas with significant genetic upheaval:

'Reproduction of Varroa destructor depends on well-timed host cell recapping and seasonal patterns':
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-49688-9

'Parallel evolution of Varroa resistance in honey bees: a common mechanism across continents?':
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2021.1375

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