Dr Wenner writes:

Feral colonies composed of mixed genetic traits have survived for several
years, but colonies of genetically uniform bees perished in an island
ecosystem. Feral colonies located remote from beekeeper activity could now
have strains quite resistant to varroa mites and should be investigated.

comment:

We should not be surprised that the island bees succumbed to varroa, since
they had not been exposed to them and had not developed defense against
them. The "ferals" however, may have escaped from commercial outfits in the
Santa Barbara area and may have resistant traits as a result of exposure to
varroa.

But what surprises me in all these discussions is the use of terms like
"isolated" and "remote" without any effort or concern about defining them.
Given that queens can fly up to ten miles to mate, how can one be certain
that *any* bees are "remote" -- particularly if the term isn't even defined.

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