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The only area of non-treatment I can reveal to you is my own which is to the N-W of Glasgow along the Endrick valley. I will respect other's right to keep their locations to themselves as I would with other scientist's data.

Since there is no compulsion for you to get varroa resistant bees perhaps you should not stress so much? If you ever watch the video I posted you will see the yields the Irish beefarmer has got from his black bees over the years. And he never lets his colonies have more than 10 frames of brood.

So you are saying Russian bees never yield any honey - they just survive? Relatively small over wintering cluster size is a feature that my bees share with other black bees - it may be a major hinderance for colony growth with Italian bees in Finland but is not a problem for my bees in Scotland

As a scientist I was simply being transparent about my methodology - I use foundationless frames partly as a cost-saving anad partly because I do not want to expose my bees to wax that I have no control over the source of - this may or may not be important but I have eliminated it from my...

This area has already grown into a region! Not surprising they have kept it to themselves is it?

I do know a littleabout the small cell work and claims. My only overlap with them is that I use foundationless frames in my national hives so the bees can build whatever cell size they want. I am looking to build evidence that a stable treatment-free population can be produced- I am not...

Survivors are the colonies that continue to flourish year after year despite everyone saying they should be dead from lack of mite treatment - are you thinking of Steve Jobs?

I think BIBBA would be a better place to find out.

I agree that it would be very interesting to carry out an independent replication of my breeding programme but I can't see how the many variables such as geography, starting genetics, weather etc could be precisely repeated What I think is more important is to demonstrate that is it possible...

As a scientist and someone who is aiming to build up my colonies of varroa resistant bees to >50 next year I am interested to know what research you think will provide a "clue to their validity"?

It will be a long time for the UK but maybe this will be the only Brexit benefit? There are already some areas where everyone has agreed not to treat their bees - with time the survivors in these areas will dominate the genetics and they will then start to spread.

None withour checking - but that is now the fourth different queen and here I agree with Finman - open mating in many places in the UK means it is difficult to retain a particular trait. Which goes back to the OP - the more folk who have bees from varroa resistant stock the easier it will become

If a colony were to produce three prime swarms over 4 to 5 years and then have a failed queen mating and whither away has that colony died out or has it multiplied and relocated?

I do agree with your first point but am interested to know how you you can be so sure about where your swarms are coming from?

You have clearly misrepresented my position as an open-minded learner vs others who want to show us their appendages but then you are the one with the title..

The answers to some of your questions are in the video including a section on how to select for less swarmy bees - watch it if you want - I learnt a few things after my 50 years beekeeping. Meanwhile I will continue breeding with my queens in a mating apiary and my drones spread over a large...

Yes - I think you need to have control over a much larger area than a single apiary You might like to watch this presentation about commercial beekeeping using black bees

You are correct - my black bees appear to be in control - they produce a lot of drones that fly earlier and later in the year and at temperatures just above 16C. The thing is the colonies are varroa resistant so I don't mind! It remains to be seen whether I can sell queens but I do supply...

I hope you are right - we will see next year, possibly this year for queens if we get a decent spring.

They very rarely produced a significant surplus of honey and because they were reluctant to draw comb tended to be difficult to build up sufficiently to take splits off within our short season - probably in part because I use foundationless frames. My breeding programme has largely eliminated...