Why can't we have a two pronged approach, let the scientists, what
few are left with funds, do the testing and assaying. But, at the
same time, let the commerical beekeepers and the queen breeders bring
the semen from wherever and get the queens out there.  The
marketplace will validate the  results just as they did with
Hasting's queens and Brother Adam's queens, both of which were
developed with importations of semen.  I have suspected for five
years that the place to look for resistance was Primorskikrai in
Western Siberia. Now, the U.S. bee scientists after truly herculean
efforts to wrest some money from foundations and governments have
started an expensive demonstration project over there to evaluate
varroa resistance. Of course, the whole experiment is being run by
the local beekeepers who are tightly controlled by the local mafia.
The science that comes out of this truly admirable effort may be
somewhat suspect. If I could have gone there five years ago and
brought home some semen the way I wanted to, I
would have given some to some real good beekeepers like Vince
Coppola, Dave
Miksa, Reggie Wilbanks and 100 others.  I would suggest that if there
was some valid resistance in those bees, it would be spread to every
bee in America by now. Given the choice of losing their hives or
using a "new Queen" those "backward, unchanging" American beekeepers
might  prove to be quite forward thinking.  Poor Sue Cobey would be
going blind from all the A.I. she would be doing. I can't imagine why
the ABF is opposed to importation of semen. Open it up, and if there
is resistance out there it will be found - overnight! Leave it in the
hands of a few overworked bee scientists, exhausted from their ten
year battle with the ubiquitous African bee, and nothing will be
accomplished.