Some of research docs are a bit suspect , looks like professional PHD students on paid vacations at University of Hawaii at Hilo . I am in Hawaii again at the moment so for some of you here is what happened .
In 2007 the Federal government order a consignment of New Zealand boxed bees designed for the California Almond pollination to be inspected by the authorities on reaching US air space . They chose Honolulu Hawaii !!!!!!!!! 2500 miles away from the USA mainland . On arrival some dopey fork lift operator accidentally put his forks through the container , releasing some very angry bees which then legged it to the pleasures of this tropical isle . The main cash crop in the islands is the Macadamia nut crop , bees are the main pollinator . The Oahu bees where flown in onto the non infected Big island for the mac nuts . It was sheer luck due to a commercial dispute that the Maui bees where not used that year ( Maui is still not infected ) . The pollinators all were mixed sited and the Big island bees where infected . The effect was devastating . South farm , close to me here , lost 112 hives and are currently running on 2 . It was further complicated when the mac farms decided to import from the USA continent boxed bees for the following seasons pollination , this time small hive beetle came on vacation as well putting most beekeepers in to intensive care .
Due to a very large queen rearing industry on the island ( it is a massive industrial process , still going on today ) there was not much variation in bee stock , if there had been then the outcome may have been slightly different .
As you know , being a Natural bee keeper in France I do not treat for Varroa , my losses are the same as other bee keepers which do treat . My bees are a wild mixture so the idea of genetic variation where specific Viral A and B strains infecting certain bee strains is possible . But and it is a big BUT the research is not there yet , may be another paid PHd research project required . Let me guess , we will do it on Hawaii
