> The primorsk bee was described as a bee managing varroa well. It > doesn't fit with russian sources. > ...why so many formulas when the bee "can > coupe with the varroa self"?). There is some confusion betwween the unselected Primorsky Russian stock found in Russia, and the stock selected and imported by the USDA. My understanding is this: USDA scientists figured that if any European bees -- anywhere -- would have resistance to varroa, that the logical place to look would be the region where the EHB first contacted the mite. That is on the eastern extreme of Russia, near the Chinese border. They went there a number of times and selected bees that seemed promising. Not all bees in that region have strong resistance, since the beekeepers shield them from mites using treatments, just as we do here. Nonetheless, they did find some stock that seemed promising in mite resistance, in honey production, and in temprament, so they imported about 100 queens a year for 5? years. On arrival in the US, the bees were quarantined and bred and selected. Of the many queens imported, only a relatively small number of lines were retained after selection. Those remainder do carry very considerable tolerance to both tracheal and varroa, and also have the requisite qualities to be a commercial bee in North America -- in the opinion of the USDA and their co-operators. The Primorsky Russians in the USA are a very different bee from what you would find if you just grabbed any old queen in Eastern Russia. allen http://www.honeybeeworld.com/diary/ Now a retired beekeeper with minus 200 hives :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and other info --- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::