>
> >So allowing mite infestation to reach a high level allows mating between
> the offspring of possibly several foundress mites and they are then no
> longer what may be described as clones - although still probably very
> highly inbred I guess?


I'm not clear on where the idea that mites are clones of one another came
from.  True, they are of a single mitotype (maternal line), but hardly
means that they are clones.  This should be obvious, since different mites
exhibit different degrees of resistance to various miticides--indicating
that there is genetic diversity.


-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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