A lot of people read BEE-L but really don't want to "Run the Gauntlet".
I can understand that posting here and being under scrutiny for some can
be as daunting as defending a thesis.
I notice that discussions here make ripples across the 'net.
Here is a good post -- IMO -- from
http://www.honeybeeworld.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=377
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There is quite the ongoing discussion on Bee-L about No Treatment
Beekeeping.
I started beekeeping with 3 hives. I had no mentor, and the local bee
supply guy talked about the need to treat for varroa, and he would
promote all the crackpot varroa treatments. Everything from a sheet of
Bounty paper towel soaked in vegetable oil placed between every box to
powdered sugar.
I tried sifting some powdered sugar in one hive - it just ticked them
off, and 50 million white bee ghosts flying around just wasn't my idea a
worthwhile endeavor.
I started reading on the internet about beekeeping, and started doing
the no treatment beekeeping. I'm a lazy beekeeper, and no treatment is
right up my alley.
And guess what? This is my 5th year of keeping bees. I have around 70
hives and nucs going into winter.
You really CAN keep bees alive with no treatments. However, in order to
do this, there are a few factors involved that you need to be aware of.
You have to dedicate yourself to becoming a better beekeeper. Bee-havers
just won't cut it.
It seems that every winter, I have 40%-70% losses. I have never lost all
my bees though. The more hives I get, the bigger the chunk of money it
takes to replace losses. When the first $2,000 or $3,000 of production
goes to replacing losses, that gets old. (I could sell the splits in
spring for $2K-$3K, so by using those splits to replace losses, I count
that as lost earnings income.)
I catch a few swarms. As my name gets out there more, this year I think
I ended up with 8 or 10 swarms.
I learned how to graft and raise queens, and I split hives like crazy to
replace losses. I try to graft from my strongest overwintered colonies.
(I do see more chalkbrood than I like from queens I have raised.)
When it comes to honey production, I will have a hive that may produce
30 or 40 or 50 pounds of surplus honey, and the next 2 or 3 hives with
sister queens right beside it never messed with the supers. They may
have a brood box full of bees and brood, but they never made any honey.
A prime swarm may make 75 or 100 pounds. (I saw a video of Michael Bush
some time back, and in that video he said he hadn't extracted any honey
in 3 or 4 years. A lack of surplus honey coincides with my experiences
of no treatment.)
This fall, I put one Mite Away Quick Strip in all my production hives. I
didn't treat my nucs, but have been tossing up the idea of using
HopGuard on them.
So yes, I agree with people who say that it is possible to keep bees
with no treatment beekeeping. I have personally experienced that I can
not only keep bees alive, but I can build colony numbers too.
Profitability suffers though. In the spring, I am splitting hives and
catching swarms trying to replace losses. Hives that I am running for
honey production, I don't split past June 1 so they have time to build
for the main flow. I still have a lot of inconsistency in those hives
producing honey - 20% of the hives produce 80% of my honey.
By not treating, I think my income is 1/3 of what it should be. As a
hobbyist, the 1/3 income doesn't have a great affect on me. As a
beekeeper trying to develop a sideline operation, that unrealized 2/3
income is important to me. $3K-$5K a year isn't going to have that big
of an impact on my life. $10K-$15K a year starts making a difference,
and the more hives I get, the bigger effect it can have.
I'm not one of those who is dumping anything and everything in my hives,
but I am to the point that I am trying to make an impact on the varroa
issues. It's more of a minimalist treatment attitude now - I don't want
to use any higher doses than I have to, while still having a significant
impact on varroa issues.
And maybe next spring I will still have 40%-70% losses after treating...
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