>The market values varroa resistance low on the scale, below price, availability, production, wintering...

A lot of good points put forth concerning both the challenges and market dynamics associated with resistance maintenance at scale.

This however is a different question than that of what is possible in the disparate populations and management paradigms individual beekeepers might find themselves in.

This discussion started off postulating whether 'Darwinian Beekeeping' was a feasible approach- this in-and-of-itself is honestly a difficult question to unpack, involving a lot of questions about not only the methodology itself but the goals and expectations of the beekeeper. 

I think it is relatively safe to say 'Darwinian Beekeeping' is untenable for commercial (and maybe even most sideline) beekeeping but might work for stationary hobbyist beekeepers in a favorable environment (which appears to be the target audience).

Reflecting on the question more broadly however, I'd submit there is a market for resistant stock (Cory Stevens sells everything he can produce every year), but this market is swamped by the exponentially larger-scale market interests outlined above.

Is broad resistance expression possible? I'd suggest that contemporary research suggests it is. 

Is it likely? I suspect not in most industrialized environments unless the commercial beekeeping industry decides it is worthwhile to invest in. 

As an aside, it is rather thought-provoking to watch the unfolding resistance development in the UK relative to the US - suggesting at least in part that our annual genetic upheaval brought on by migratory practices here in the lower 48 is working against resistance development at population levels.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13592-021-00852-y

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