> > So sorry--certainly didn't mean to offend. > For whomever wrote the quote, I have reason to doubt whether main queen producers check their breeding stock for tracheal mite resistance, and only in the past few years have they checked for hygienic behavior, or apparent resistance to any other parasite. > >Immune responses are often passed to offspring through non-genetic > methods. True, but such epigenetic resistance tends to be lost without continued pressure from the pathogen. Of interest is that resistance to chalkbrood appears to be specific for the strain. Aussie bees that are resistant to the local strains in Australia often quickly succumbed to the strain in Calif. > >that doesn't mean the queens you sell will pass on a genetic resistance > mechanism to your customers, twelve hundred miles distant. I agree with you wholeheartedly on that. I get sent test queens by breeders all over the U.S. Although I'm sure that they are great in the habitat they came from, they nearly always crash here (with some notable exceptions). Personally, I don't make any claims for my stock if someone wants to take it out of my county. -- Randy Oliver Grass Valley, CA www.ScientificBeekeeping.com *********************************************** The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html