Bob said:
Feral genetics pale in my opinion compared to the Russian bee genetics of a
hundred years of natural selection but to each his own!


John said:
Ferals and Russians both do not have 22 to 25 million years of natural
selection?,,,one more evolved than the other?

Perhaps the word natural selection is a poor choice?
  Johns position sounds like the common researcher postion . Many of those
same researchers also say varroa tolerance can not be bred for but then all
most of those researchers are interested in is granting projects of little
concern to the beekeeping industry.

I have used feral genetics in my program as has the Purvis Brothers in their
program. I was being honest when I said I never brought a feral hive home
which had genetics I cared for but Dann Purvis says he has and I believe
Dann.
The varroa tolerance in the Russian bees is similar between all my Russians.
I have got a line of black Russians which test 0-5 varroa natural  24 hour
drop in September in Missouri. I am sending those genetics to Dann Purvis to
incorperate into his Blue Russian line in the spring.
I have been speaking with my partner at the ABF convention twice a day and
he told me this afternoon that Marla Spivak did a program called  taking the
"distructor" out of varroa destructor and announced she is going to be
releasing a new hygienic varroa tolerant queen in the spring through Glenn
Apiaries. You go girl! Marla made the word hygienic a common word in bee
breeding  circles despite the nahsayers!

John said:
 The estimated date varroa had jumped species to Apis mellifera in Russian
bees is less than hundred years, apx. 1963 to be exact.

I am sure glad you said estimated because none of us know for sure. I find
the 1963 figure laughable! The USDA-ARS has used the figure of a 100 years
since the start of the Russian project.

When Rinderer and Shiminuki were in Russia they were able to trace the
varroa *problem* back much farther than 1963 by interviewing beekeeper,
their fathers and grandfathers.

Sincerely,
Bob Harrison

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
-- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and  other info ---
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::