Further along the theme of closing the barn door before the horse escapes...

Does anyone know of Apis mellifera resistance to T. clareae? Its princibly host is A .dorsata, but it afflicts A. mellifera in a range which may include cool temperate climes, in Central Asian mountains:
Woyke, J. 1984. Survival and prophylactic control of Tropilaelaps clareae infesting Apis mellifera colonies in Afghanistan. _Apidologie_ 15(4):421-433.

Here's an introduction, mentioning Woyke, J. reporting on an effective non-chemical control measure: http://www.oie.int/eng/normes/mmanual/A_00125.htm

I was <cough> wrong about V. mandarinia being the only major bee pest not now in North America.

Brian Cady