Brian, you said "Australia is the last hold out that is varrora free - to suggest its a good place then to select for varroa resistance is puzzling to me and maybe to others. " and further in the posting , "I find it hard to comprehend your argument that somehow Australia is a better place for selecting honeybee genetics that are resistant to varroa then anywhere else in the world that is infested."

I have never "suggested" or "argued" this at all.

This debate started out over the risks of importing cerana bees and tropilaelaps mites into the US via Australian packages. It has moved on considerably since then, but having re-read my posts, I can find nothing that I have said that suggests  that Australia would be a good place to select for varroa resistance. I can't even see how you would have misinterpreted something I said in order to form that view. You are just plain wrong about that.


What I have tried to do, is counter your broad brush view that Australian bees have "no resistance" (your post of 18th January and quoted here....  "Furthermore the facts are the Aussie bees have no resistance to Tracheal, Varroa or chalkbrood......  Why would we want to import more bees that have no resistance?"). 
Bob has explained how one exporter has endeavoured to meet your importers requirements by supplying genetics from a variety of origins that is known to exhibit this resistance, and his observations of that stock under US conditions over a number of seasons. 

I have also explained how the other exporters from here use exactly the same procedures for the same reasons. 
 
These procedures are extremely tightly controlled in order to minimise risk and appropriately certified by both Australian and US government agencies that they have met the standards.

But your posting seems to indicate that this will never satisfy you. You cite examples of problems experienced with "Aussie bees "related to you by sources you cannot divulge, (quote) "due to privacy and political reasons."  And in fairness quote problems with USA stock that, (quote) "put(s) them in the same class as the Aussie bees".

You go on to state "The other simple fact is we don't need imported bees and queens from anywhere!". 

Brian, USA has imported stock from just about everywhere in the past. The bees that form the backbone of your industry today are the result of that. This has had both benefits and drawbacks, but your nation has always had the resources and resilience to deal with the worst and make the most of the best. Indeed you yourself have been a great advocate on this list for the imported Russian stock which you run.

These inconsistencies in your postings, and the tendency to read into those of others, things which are just not there, lead me to suspect that there must be another motive behind your strong opposition to "Aussie bees".

PeterD




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