Thanks Randy for those suggested mechanisms.  I will go through them and ask more questions/make comments.

1.  For viruses specifically and in the long term, Eyal Maori clearly demonstrated that bees integrate a portion of the viral genome into their own genome (as do humans), which, if carried by a reproductive, would then confer resistance to subsequent generations.

--From a quick look at his papers, this doesn't seem to involve breeding bees?  Or am I missing one of his papers about breeding bees that already have viral inserts?  From the work I did years ago on retroviruses, I know it is devilishly difficult to insert any DNA into the genome in such a way that upregulation is governed "as planned".  Either way, it's not about breeding bees as you do that, is it?  It's more about GMO bees.

2. Via the jelly (either via protein priming or RNAi for viruses).
Can this be done by conventional breeding techniques?

3. Via Vg protein priming in the egg (the recent study that Bill referred to, perhaps limited to bacteria).
Thus, not helpful in thinking about how to make viruses less virulent.

4. Via the endosymbiotic gut bacteria involved in immune response.
So this isn't about breeding bees, either, is it....more about probiotics?

5. And of course epigenetic up regulation of existing portions of the genome.

--Does breeding for epigenetic upregulation of specific portions of the genome last once the bees leave a location?  As Charles pointed out, "resistant bees" often lose resistance once they are moved.

Christina

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