a couple of Mr Borst snips followed > by my comments  

Maybe so, but it is not a dominant trait and it slips away when outcrossing occurs. VSH bees are heavily selected for one trait, which may help them to counteract mite predation but could at the same time produce bees which lack other important qualities. In order to produce a survivable bee, one has to aggregate traits that ensure survival to all hazards, not just mites.

This is a very long stretch. Defensiveness increases fitness. Here, I am talking about the strain of African bee that was introduced into the Americas. It is extremely fit, and very aggressive. This bee dominates in areas where it is crossed with European bees. VHS traits do not become dominant; they get watered down and disappear. 

I have researched bee breeding extensively and decade after decade, we heard the promises of the coming bee. The potential of new techniques such as Instrumental Insemination, genome mapping, etc. But none of these bore fruit. Hence, I am skeptical of anyone who promises results based on projections. Projections, no matter how attractive are not proof.

> First off (first paragraph) you are using dominant in such a fashion that I don't think anyone that has had the first glass is basic genetics has any idea what you are talking about.  You then go on to speculate concerning qualities that might be lost and then go on to devalue in you last paragraph.  Then you place the bar a bit too high looking for a bee that will tolerate 'all hazards'....  imho 1 or 2 problems at the same time might be doable but all at once I don't think so.

> Secondly (paragraph 2).... why should you presume defensiveness increases fitness?  I would suspect in some habitats it does and in others it does not.  Certainly in some habitat the scut crosses do well but in others not so much < basic logic and data reinforce this thinking.

>Thirdly... you seem to demean a lot of work and the obvious (at least to me) progress these have provided.  To suggest that II or genome mapping does not provide important information and promotes a lot of progress in terms of breeding is simply not comprehensible by myself.  

>finally... Of corse it is easy to set back in a chair on Monday and arm chair quarterback the prior weekends football games... and this does not make you a football player.  It is a bit more difficult to get out on the field and make decisions and implement actions and have these achieve some desirable end.    

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