Varroa is not the problem. It is the virus. So you can keep Varroa levels low and call the bee Varroa tolerant, but, if KBV, IAPV or any of the other variants are there, with just a small added push (winter cluster, nutrition, dysentery, etc.), the combination of virus and Varroa will cause bee mortality. Tracheal mites were well studied by Norma Carriak (sp?) and it was not the mite that was the problem. It was what was also in the colony.Bees can handle high mite loads. Once the bees get the virus, they can spread it without any additional assist from the mites. It is not the exponential increase in mites but the increased spread of virus.So you can have high mite loads but no major losses (look at parts of Canada), or low mite loads (usually after treatment) with major loss (look at US commercial operations ). So any exercise in Hawaii may create a "Varroa Tolerant" bee but with no virus present, you are in a fool's paradise. Bill Truesdell Bath, Maine ****************************************************** * Full guidelines for BEE-L posting are at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm * ******************************************************