Sidi’s hives, which had also been infected, survived on their own. Bolstered by the introduction of wild queens, they hadn’t succumbed. His bees knew how to defend themselves against the Varroa at every stage of their development, and, to do so, showed their savage side. They had inherited a sense of smell once lost through servile domestication and could recognize the odor of parasitic nymphs, which they would then tear apart before expelling the contaminated alveoli. And if they detected an enemy astride an adult bee, they immediately set to get rid of it. Joining forces, the bees would rip
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