In many ways I agree with Paul's comments regarding monitoring
and treatment for mites!  I too use several integrated pest management
techniques, including manipulations (i.e. drone brood removal, splitting,
brood breaks), monitoring (i.e. alcohol wash) and treatments (i.e. OA
{winter dribble}, formic {Aug-Sept} and thymol {Sept-Oct}) in order to stay
on top of things.  I'm a hobbits with hives in an urban/rural
environment, it takes yearly planning, timing and effort but it's not
overwhelming.  I use the alcohol wash monitoring method because I want to
know what my real % infestation is in each colony.  I count mites and bees
to get my true % and document it.  I start in Feb and continue this each
month through Oct.  I only treat when my % goes above what *I consider
acceptable *for my area and that is generally 3-5%.

My experience with other beeks around me is that they find it too much
effort and time that they don't want to spend.  So I find myself trying to
assist them to make the minimum effort to at least keep myself from loosing
my colonies.  I don't have other livestock (horse, cattle, sheep, goats,
etc.) but others around me do, and I know for a fact that they don't just
turn them into the pasture and forget about them or just look at them form
the kitchen window!  I think that some hobbits beeks, especially newer
ones, tend to take this approach with their colonies and I for one echo
Paul's comment regarding this technique as not a valid plan or approach.
If one wants to be "hands off" or "natural" then take the colonies out into
the woods and let them go.  I try to do my best within the extra time I
have to educate myself by reading the papers/articles regarding the real
science and to be a good beek neighbor and educate others.  If those here
continue to do the same maybe someday others will listen.

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