i read back through this thread. something to think about.....
all of the great epidemics and pandemics in history, with one exception, have one thing in common. mobility. either the mobility of the vector, or mobility of the carrier. it does not matter whether you are talking about livestock, people, or, most likely, bees. the one exception is the flu pandemic of the early 20th century. the great flu appeared simultaneously in several places and on different continents. some of those places were quite remote. to this day, no one really knows how that happened.
seems that leaves control of disease to three choices. 1. allow nature to take it's course and live with what is left. 2. control mobility, which in this day and age is not practical 3. control disease.
breeding survivor stock of anything is desirable. does the survivor stock you breed, survive export? perhaps not. when exposed to new contaminates, the stock you have raised may not be immune to the contaminate in the new area.
controlling mobility is not an option with bees if you are going to transport them for pollination. you also could not import or export your "survivor" stock. even if your own hives never leave your property, the bees travel a large area and may be exposed to bees that have been imported and may be infected with ?.
treating disease has it's own risks. we have experienced resistance to mite treatments. antibiotic treatments can lead to resistance in many species. this is especially true if it is not done according to direction. not treating disease puts our own and others bees at risk. if we are going to treat, we all want to use the least dangerous and most effective medications or methods.
this is just the disgorging of thoughts on the choices we all face. i don't think there are easy, or one size fits all, answers for us.
i remember that my great aunts oldest daughter died of rheumatic fever after having a sore throat for a couple of weeks. people don't die from strep throat much anymore. of course, now they die of antibiotic resistant staph infections.....in fewer numbers....a fair trade?