In a message dated 29/07/2007 16:23:24 GMT Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
The survival of the "feral colonies" was not due to any unique
>trait of the bees, but instead, due to traits in the local
>population of the >>>VARROA mites>…Because the difference in the Aront
Forest is in the
>VARROA, not in the bees.
The point as I understood it was that where colonies are clustered in an
apiary the mites always have an alternative home in case of causing the host
colony to collapse. When colonies are widely separated as in the Arnot forest
the mites have nowhere else to go so it is in their interest not to exterminate
the host. Tom didn't explain the mechanism though.
Chris
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