> Would the situation that you described apply to the Arnot Forest from which Dr Seeley has described feral colonies?


Well, yes. I know the beekeepers who completely surround the Arnot Forest. They have bee yards within a couple of miles of there-- or even nearer! I never thought the success of ferals was due to genetic differentiation and in fact, when he took queens back to Ithaca and placed them near his other colonies, they went down just as fast as the others. 

I think the key factor in the success of untended colonies around here is  physical (not genetic) isolation. The Arnot bees were spaced fairly widely apart, as natural colonies usually are, and high up in trees. However, I have seen at least three or four cases where the beekeeper either died or was incapacitated. and left bees untended for several years. These hives were single or at most, two, with no other hives around for several miles.

The other thing we have discussed in the past is the possibility that varroa in isolated colonies become inbred and suffer inbreeding depression, while the isolated bees are still able to get out and outcross, creating vigor. 

plb

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