Dann Purvis II wrote:

> SOME of us breed bees but MOST of us breed mites.

A general statement that has some truth but I would go no further than
that. The dynamics of host and parasite can end up with the host
disappearing from the scene and no change to the parasite which may
exist just fine on another host. Mosquitoes do not need people. Fleas do
not need dogs. If both man and his best friend disappeared from the
earth, mosquitoes and fleas would still be around.

Another interesting supposition that I will put forth is based on the
fact that there is more than one species of Varroa and both are in the
US. That caused confusion in the beginning because Varroa destructor was
mis-identified as Varroa jacobsoni. In fact, there are two more Varroa
species that are known. So maybe Varroa j can crowd out Varroa d. or
maybe there is one or more other Varroa out there confusing the
dynamics. So maybe what you are seeing with feral bees is not Varroa d
at all. Maybe it selected itself out of the environment and a less
destructive Varroa took its place. And maybe some Varroa succumb to the
virus' they vector, hence that is the control. Maybe small cell selects
for one Varroa over another.

We are really at the beginning of knowledge about the dynamics of what
is going on in the area of Varroa tolerance.

As far as breeding a better mite, I have been in that camp for a long
time. But it is conjecture. I could argue with myself and be right since
there is little to show that either side of the argument is wrong, at
least at this time. We just do not know enough.

Bill Truesdell (who says conjecture is the lifeblood of the BeeL.)
Bath, Maine

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