>>I guess someone (even Dr. Seeley himself) could repeat 
Seeley's test(s) using tree-hollow "bee gums"...

People like Dennis Murray (spelling?) have shown that bees transfered 
to TB hives survived mites w/o treatments.  The best explanation was 
that the smaller cell size at the bottom of the naturally built combs 
was smaller somehow allowing the bees to rid themselves of most of 
the mites in the late season.

The cell size from the middle of the feral combs I've measured has 
been consistently just under 5,0 mm.  No doubt, feral colonies 
produce less brood and, by extension, fewer mites.  These factors may 
be key to their survivor.

As to many, feral to me means living in unmanaged conditions 
regardless of origin.  I have yet to find a marked queen in a feral 
colony.  Interestingly enough, the queen I obtained from a feral 
colony a month ago, is the longest queen that I have ever seen... 

I admire the vigor of the feral bees.  Do they transfer well into 
managed colonies?  Yes.  Can they survive w/o treatment in managed 
colonies?  I have not seen that - although one OA treatment in the 
fall makes mites a non-issue.  Then again, my Pierco cells don't 
match the natural comb and in my hives they produce very large 
populations (a lot of potential for a lot of mites).

Waldemar

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