REGARDING RE> Apis cerana Jeffrey R. Tooker writes: "I was looking in "Social Behavior of Bees" by Michener (1974) for Apis Cerana and it said they were from the far east (where I think varroa come from)and that they were dying out as more A. Melifra were being brought in. Is there anything being done with A. Cerana crosses for Vmite resistance?" True, Apis cerana, the Indian honey bee, was the original host of Varroa jacobsoni mites. These bees are able to co-exist with the mites, a fact which makes study of their habits important in knowing what mite resistant qualities to look for in Apis mellifera. Dr. Roger Hoopingarner at Michigan State Univ. (among others I suspect) has been evaluating several factors which allow A. cerana to hold their own, including a shortened interval within sealed brood cells, grooming behavior, hygienic behavior, and perhaps other factors. These factors are present in strains of A. mellifera, as well, and could be selected for in producing mite resistant bees. I doubt that actual crosses with A. cerana would be possible, because these bees are quite a bit smaller in size than A. mellifera. Ted Fischer