In message <[log in to unmask]>, James Fischer
<[log in to unmask]> writes
>These two experiments lead Galton to coin the phrase "regression to the mean".
Not being a biologist (ex-physicist and educationalist) I appreciate
that selection for one character means all others regress to the mean.
Also, open mating will regress many to the mean. My optimism is based on
getting a large number of beekeepers working together, covering the
whole of the peninsula. I have no idea yet what % colonies we will
recruit, but I am hopeful that drone flooding will go some way to
getting us going. We have some areas a bit more isolated and working
intensively there might help. We also have a number of groups working
around the UK, some with II and some without. We'll be able to compare
notes.
>What does one do to avoid this phenomenon, except requeen with the progeny
>of inseminated queens from a closed-population controlled breeding program?
John Dews has bees that damage nearly 60% of the mites falling on the
floor, but last season he did II even with a very isolated open mating
site. Look up Spurn Head, on the north side of the Humber estuary in
Yorkshire, UK and you'll see what I mean. The Lizard, in Cornwall, is
not so good as there are lots of beekeepers. However, this level of co-
operation has been reported in Eastern Europe, mainly through the gift
of queens to non-participating beekeepers. John has however, reported
increasing mite damage in other hives where open mating was the norm.
--
James Kilty

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