North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Mauch1@aol.com]

I'd have to agree w/ Lon.  A few years ago, after I'd heard 
experts proclaiming [to the effect] that "feral honey bees 
are 'extinct'", I had plenty around my house.  This year, I've seen almost 
none.  My Japanese (w/ some addition of blue orchard) bees did well and I've 
seen many bumblebees but no honey bees.

Chris Mauchline
SE PA, zone 6
40° 5' N    75° 51'W
~650 ft elevation

>There is resistance - some Russian strains with resistance have been
>imported into the U.S.  However, it's too soon for them to have spread that
>much.  More likely, the mites have died back due to lack of hosts.  With an
>increase in non-resistant honeybees, the mites will build up again.
>Boom-bust cycles are very common in all sorts of species, and the bees are
>likely to be going through a boom cycle right now.
>-Lon Rombough


Chris Mauchline
SE PA, zone 6
40° 5' N    75° 51'W
~650 ft elevation