For those following this thread, I believe that Pete and I are on the same
page on nearly every aspect.  But I enjoy the scientific and logical back
and forth challenging.  Pete and I are friends, and neither of us have
anything to sell, nor (speaking for myself) any strongly held opinions.

>My hypothesis would be that the VSH trait is swamped by wild type genetic
> combinations, that it provides no clear survival benefit, and that non VSH
> bees prevail in the general population because they are maintained with
> acaricides.
>

I would not dispute any of the above.  I will be discussing the
misunderstanding of VSH in an upcoming article.

>
> >-- Sure, nobody disputes that strains with certain traits can be selected
> and bred. The question is about what happens to those traits when they are
> introduced into the general population. The hypothesis is that these traits
> will provide advantages and will accumulate in populations.


I would never submit that hypothesis.


> >Obviously, if the advantage is small, it may be overwhelmed by other more
> significant factors. Also, as I said (as have so many), no progress can be
> expected in mite resistance if beekeepers continue to use acaricides.
>

Dude, you're stealing the gist of my next article in ABJ : (

 >that true progress in bee breeding is expensive

Can't agree with you there.  Tedious, but not necessarily expensive,
relative to gains.  In the case of beekeepers losing 30% of hives to
varroa/DWV each season, and hives renting for $180+ in almonds, making
varroa a non problem would be a good return on investment.

> Many times I have pointed out that there are at least two ways to
increase production: breed better bees, or get more hives.

Pete, you may be forgetting that the majority of hives in the U.S. go to
almond pollination.  The beekeepers who keep those hives are already tapped
out, number wise.  Getting more hives for many is not an option.  So long
as our industry stays on its current track, there is biological reason to
expect varroa and DWV to become more of a problem, not less.  This will
only increase operating costs, and decrease returns.

Adam says: I don't know that there is practical method of maintaining the
selective
pressure without sacrificing a large portion of your bees a la Kirk
Webster, John Kefuss, Chris Baldwin, etc.

Of course there is.  I'll be detailing soon in ABJ.
-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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