Hello Michael & All,
I did four years of experiments with Russian/Russian and the Russian hybrid.
Lack of varroa control was only  seen when you moved away from the 
Russian/Russian bee. Sometimes F1 but most certainly F2/F3.

Some hybrids Russian/New world carniolan (F1) still carried very low varroa 
counts in the second year. 18 varroa drop in 24 hours being the highest I 
recorded in late August in Missouri.

I believe the queen breeder Michael is refering to has loss control of his 
Russian breeders. If not then the queen breeder he is buying his breeders 
from has.

Open mating has ruined many a breeding program!

I still have got a large yard of various Russian lines picked from the 
around 400 Russian queens I worked with over the last five years. None has 
ever been treated for varroa or anything else. Varroa can be found in all 
the hives but not PMS.

I have got one jet black Russian queen which is amazing BUT the dot on her 
back is gone so she is  an unknown. Prolific, her hive had the highest 
Russian production I ever recorded (over 150 pounds in a drought year when 
honey production is in the fifty pound range)and a very low varroa count 
with no PMS. Not sure what to do with the exception to the rule. Guess I 
will raise  a few queens!
 
I dropped the Russian lines because I needed a prolific bee ,a bee which 
wintered in a larger cluster (almond pollination) and a bee which did not 
shut down with every change in the weather.

I wanted my prolific Italians back ( never have not had a large portion of 
the hives  Italian even during the Russian experiment)! We have got some 
excellent soft treatments now for varroa so I now choose to treat and keep 
the bees which work best for me.

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