In his post of 21st July 2008, Randy Oliver referred to the situation of dark feral bees and yellow managed bees in Western Australia, with a reference to the hope that I would comment. Although having been unable to comment until now, I hope these comments will not be too late. I have certainly found the debate an interesting one, and agree wholeheartedly with all the comments Randy made in that posting. If I can, I would like to further explain/describe the "feral" population we have. This is best done  by referring readers to New Zealand queen breeder David Yanke's excellent paper in the viewpoint section of his website. 
http://www.queenbees.co.nz/view3.shtml
In his "Presentation to the 2002 Bay of Plenty Field Day", David wrote this about the NZ situation, which mirrored exactly the situation here in Western Australia:-
"The 2 races we have could not be more different from each other. During the evolution of Apis mellifera, as the bees moved west towards Europe and Africa from their origins in Asia, they branched apart with one branch moving west and down into Africa to overwhelm that whole continent, while another branch moved north and west into South Eastern Europe. Our Italians, along with the Carniolans, belong to this northern branch, while our black bees, the dark European bee of western Europe, shares it's evolutionary past with the North African races, after crossing back into W. Europe when there was a land bridge at Gibraltar. While Carniolans and Italians are very closely related, with Carniolans being described as the grey version of the Italian, our black bees are a whole different kettle of fish. It seems incredible to suggest that our black bees are more closely related to the African races than they are to our yellow bees, but it is true. When you work with them, or try to breed yellow bees true to their race in their presence, then it is easier to believe. So we have this situation where we already have one race at each end of the racial spectrum. One of the best, in our Italian bees, and undoubtedly, the worst of the European races in our black bees. Their only redeeming feature is their hardiness, but then that works against us as well, because it is why they exist ferally as well as they do. They are always impossibly nervous, usually nasty, produce little honey, and have little resistance to brood diseases, especially chalkbrood. They give darker bees, or any bee they cross with, a bad name." 
Back then, beekeepers in NZ, like those in Western Australia today, had only those 2 choices; bees derived from (golden yellow) Italian breeding stock (which was well maintained) or darker bees (black) with varying degrees of heritage from the feral stock. Both contribute drones to the mix when virgin queens are open mated, but for a variety of reasons, the darker bees genes dominate in the offspring, so without a continual effort to input the Italian (highly selected and bred) genes into the managed stock, those behavioral traits of good behaviour, less swarming tendency and high productivity are lost, and eventually the stock reverts to black. Which is why the feral population is black.
From various Bee-L postings, I have come to the view that this situation is not unique to NZ and Western Australia. Others may wish to comment.

Some beekeepers here in Western Australia, do not avail themselves of the Italian stock from our Rottnest Island breeding programme, since in the colder, wet and windy parts to the south of our state (adjacent to the southern ocean,) these bees do not thrive year round as well as the hardier dark bees, which tend to be the bees of choice. Managing these dark bees requires a much higher degree of fortitude, good gloves and gaiters (since they love to attack the ankles!) than does managing the Italians. Swings and roundabouts I guess.

Our feral population has suffered quite serious population decline due to starvation in the protracted drought we have experienced for the past several years, but is now bouncing back since the rain came earlier this year. However, it is still black!

So will we find varroa resistance genes in the feral population here? Probably not... but if we don't look we will never know. Randy has certainly encouraged us to look for them in all our stocks, by testing a proportion of our queens in other places where varroa is present. Suggestions are now being considered as to how any genetically derived varroa tolerance could be maintained in the managed stocks in the absence of the varroa challenge, because come the evil day that varroa arrives, we want to be as well prepared as possible. It appears our federal government is now aware of the magnitude of the varroa challenge to our nation's agriculture and food security, so funding may soon become available to help research ways to deal with the problem, even though as yet we don't have it!

As in NZ, there those here (myself included), who believe that importation of the proven varroa tolerant/resistant stocks that have been developed elsewhere in the world is an important first step in achieving some defence against varroa when the incursion comes. However, again as in NZ, there are those here who vehemently resist this approach as a threat to the survival of their beloved Italian stocks, and their objections have certainly held sway to date. Fortress West Australia stands resolute against the world...the world of progress in my view! David Yanke's viewpoint pages highlight the protracted 3 decades battle he had to achieve any new stock importation into NZ. He eventually succeeded in importing Carniolian semen which he has used to good effect to produce the "Southern Cross Carniolians" line. Beekeepers there now have increased choice. Here in Western Australia we have reached 3 decades of lock down on stock imports, but I fear we are still a long way from achieving any change to that policy. "White Australia" has disappeared from our national immigration policy and attitude towards human population, which has broadened substantially, but there has been no such broadening of policy or attitudes in respect of the bee population here in the west of the wide brown land! If I wished to import new gene stock for cattle, horses, sheep, pigs etc, the world is my oyster (within Biosecurity limitations of course). But not bee genes...not under any circumstances! Yet.


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