Dave Black
 
>  The point I am making is that it is not, and this is because there is a
> very indirect relationship between mite population and colony mortality.
 
My comment included not only survival, but good health.  Strong healthy
colonies that may be infected by mites, or any other disease/pest, is what
we want.  For a scientific study, you are quite right.  "comparative"
monitoring is essential.  But, breeding from survivors is a means to
develop resistant colonies.  If they are resistant, who cares if there are
mites or not.  I am assuming that simple survival is not the end of the
matter.
 
> To measure the efficacy of a Varroa  control there must be a way of
assaying the Varroa
> population;
 
Here is the difference in our point of view.  I am suggesting breeding from
these 'resistant' colonies to develop bees that can ignore the mites.
Resistant bees are not a means of control.  They control things themselves.
  I don't think we disagree, we are just saying different things.
 
This is what I had in mind when I suggested breeding the AFB for desirable
qualities.
 
Regards from Alaska,
-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -
"Test everything.  Hold on to the good."  (1 Thessalonians 5:21)
 
Tom Elliott
Eagle River, Alaska
U.S.A.
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