>
> >Well CRAP!    It seemed like a good plan!  The one thought that comes to
> mind though is so many people claim some levels of success with VHS,
> whats  "the rest of the story"?


The FKB was such a nice assay for selecting for bees resistant to AFB, that
many hoped that it could also be used to select for varroa resistance.
Their hope did not appear to be diminished by the several studies that
failed to support the hypothesis.

Of interest, it does appear to work the other way around--bees selected for
VSH tend to exhibit better FKH.  Not surprising, since VSH appears to be
very much based upon the olfactory sensing by the nurses of pupae that are
not developing properly.

I spoke about this with Dr. Danka last year; he told me that his lab no
longer selects solely for VSH, but rather for reduced buildup rates (r
values) of the mite population.  That is one of the reasons why I use that
assessment in my own breeding program.


-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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