Steve Duncan wrote:
>
> Hello Everyone,
>
>  We are looking for bees for an SEM segment in a film we are just
>  finishing.  We were originally using honey-bees with Varroa mites on
>  them (the point of the shot was to show a relationship between one
>  creature and another).  For various technical reasons, and the fact
> that
>  we found the destructive element of Varroa to deter from our point, we
>  are not using these.  This leaves us in quite a predicament, because we
>  still have the same deadline and no specimens!
>  We looked at Acarapis, but they were also not suitable.
>  Can anyone suggest a species that we can use that would look similar to
>  the honey bee, but have phoretic mites that were not destructive.  They
>  do not have to be native to Canada or the US.  We do need to get a hold
>  of samples (bees with mites attached) as soon as possible.  We are
> happy
>  to pay for the samples, or make a donation to a research fund or
>  university if direct payment is awkward.
>  You can contact me directly at the e-mail address below.
>  Thanks very much.
>
>  Steve.
 
I have no idea how to go about getting specimens but the native host of
varroa in south east Asia seems like a possibility.  They have coexisted
with varroa for a long time.  Is anyone out there doing research with
them?
 
 
Michael Reddell
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http://www.hotcity.com/~mwr