a randy Oliver snip followed by > my comments... 

Unfortunately, most researchers start trials with commercial
stock, which is not normally bred for mite resistance.  We could use a lot
more hard-data tracking of colony survival with whatever genetic lines are
being kept by successful TF folk.

>I agree.I would add exposure to a very long list of chemicals in commercial bee hives as another key variable in many field trial experiments. As often pointed out with the highest concentration being bee keeper applied miticide (some legal and some not so much)and a much longer list (typically at lower concentrations) being ag insecticides and fungicides. < as an economist I would consider these to be an implied cost for performing pollination services.

>The stew of all these items in the hive would be (is) very difficult to even think about in terms of designing an experiment to figure out what effect what and how much.

>Lastly even with experiments operated in different location with different operators you find out that 'the stock' (ie the queen) may quite well be from the same source.  <typically the empty queen shipping boxes are a pretty good indication of the queen breeder.

Gene in Central Texas...

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