For evolution to gain an  enduring  change in any species it must confer either an advantage or disadvantage. An advantage will allow the individual to out-compete others in the environment and in time (usually a very long time) the trait will be established into the population. A disadvantage will have the opposite effect and in time the individuals with that trait will disappear. Often traits are benign having once perhaps had a purpose but it is no longer necessary for survival but also causes no disadvantage.  These can endure for a long time. Kneecaps on wales. 

Treating a colony for varroa that has an inherent resistance will not automatically cause that trait to disappear. It will merely make the treatment moot. Not treating susceptible colonys will have a dramatic effect. They will die and put other colonys in flight range at risk. If you choose to practice "Darwinian Beekeeping", as opposed to a careful breeding regimen, please do it out of range of any other bees and take lots of Geritol. It may take  a long long time to see results. The time will be much shorter if you do not continually bring in new bees to replace your dead-outs as you will soon not have bees. My understanding of the Arnot bees is that they are "tolerant" due to isolation and small colony/cavity size causing frequent swarms. Brought into conventional management they show no "resistance".  Correct me if I am mistaken.

Paul Hosticka
Dayton WA

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