> > And if the colony survives, does that mean the bees are a tolerant stock,
> or the mites are less virulent?

I have seen the above proposed many times
on this list, IMO, perhaps to shed doubt.

Why does it matter?
Would a beekeepers propose?,,,
-"my bees aren't good honey producers,
it was just a good year"  ;)

The fact is,,,
It really doesn't mater one bit how or why the 
stresses from environmental factors affecting
a colony in a region change.  What matters
is the ability of the bees in the region to 
adapt.  

Actually, as my mentor said, a poor beekeeper can do well in a good area, whereas even a great beekeeper will do poorly in a poor area. Some years even sick and weak hives will put on weight like crazy. 

Your notion that "what matters is ability to adapt" presumes that 1) they can adapt to anything 2) they will adapt 3) this will occur in less than a millennium. You would have to provide adequate proof to support these statements. I am not saying that they can't adapt, nor that they won't,-- but that it could take a long time. 

The geographic races seem to have distinct qualities that suit them to those regions, but they were differentiated over tens of thousands of years. They have had true geographic isolation, which modern bees do not have, unless they are extremely remotely located, such as the jungles of Africa. Wherever there is admixture of stock, you have muddy water.

By the way, the difference between hygienic bees and virulent mites is that we are trying to breed bees whereas we are trying to kill mites. Even if mites are not "virulent" they are unsanitary, and undesirable. Would it comfort you to know that the ticks on your legs are not carrying any serious viruses? Surely, you wouldn't ignore blood-sucking arachnids thriving on your own body ...

PLB

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