Jim,

 

You Wrote>>>>>Well, read what he wrote. 

At least read the abstract to which I linked, where he says:

 

" Evidently, the stable bee-mite relationship in the Arnot Forest reflects
adaptations for parasite (mite) avirulence, not host (bee)
resistance."<<<<<<<<

 

I've been thinking about this and it turns out you may be right too. This
avirulence comes about because the isolated colonies, the many swarms, the
small colonies (behaviors)--limit the mites to vertical transmission. They
cannot travel by drifting bees etc. They must move from mother colonies to
daughter colonies. To do this they cannot kill the colony. Selection is for
those mites that are avirulent because every dead colony would be a dead end
for the mites. If the behaviors change the mites will readapt. Bees and
mites transferred to a normal apiary will quickly lose their immunity.  The
answer is that it is both mites and behavior.

 

Dick Marron 

 


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