yoonytoons wrote:
> Friends:
>
> I pen this memo with a grave heart.
>
> An ole hand in the trade, I have been keeping bees, as you might recall
> through my Bee-L postings, without using any chemicals or any other
> manipulations, such as small cell, naively thinking that I must assist my
> bees develop their own resistance in time.  This is my third year of none
> treatment, in fact, and I am, by all the signs I observe from my bees
> crawling in front of the hive, on the “threshold,” if not over the
> threshold.  Yes, I hear you say, “told you so.”  Yep, the mites are
> kicking and alive.

Yoon,

I have been where you are but on a smaller scale. I admire your honesty.

I do not like ascribing personal characteristics to my colonies, but it
does hurt when I lose one because of what I might have done or not done.

I agree with you that we should try to keep our hives as natural as
possible, but I have learned that, in this age of Varroa, there are too
many unproven techniques in beekeeping that, if followed, can lead to
problems.

I have tried, and found wanting, FGMO, screened bottom boards, essential
oils, home grown "resistant" queens, even menthol cough drops and these
are only the major ones that come to mind. I am experimenting with 4.9
cells and oxalic acid. (My 4.9 experiment is confined to one hive.) One
thing that is constant is the names of beekeepers who try new, unproven
methods and no longer post on this or any list. (Interesting that the
FGMO thread almost mirrors itself every time it comes up, but always
with the same objectors but new adherents. It was one of the main
reasons that this list became a moderated list, because of the heat in
the posts about it.)

I now use chemical/commercial methods of controlling Varroa. I look at
this time in beekeeping as a temporary problem where "nature" has been
put out of order by the movement of pests into areas where they were not
there before. It will take a while for things to re-order themselves,
and in the interim, I will use commercially proven tools until the
crisis passes. It does not stop me from experimenting with supposedly
"proven" techniques (such as 4.9) to see if they work in Maine. (All
beekeeping is Local.)

I learned that the people to listen to on this list are those who have
been around for a long time. They are mostly commercial beekeepers who
have more than a hobby interest and have much more to lose. (BTW it is
wonderful to see a post from Murray who has great insight, common sense,
and is a commercial beekeeper - a trifecta.) It is interesting to read
their posts. They are supportive of good science but wait, even then, to
see the long term results of new discoveries. They might try something
but confine the experiment to a few colonies (few being as many a 100!)
so they can absorb the loss. They are in it for the long haul. And as
such, they are the real beekeeping labs. They show what works over many
years, not just a few.

They are not afraid to let others know if something did not work. Most
small scale beekeepers do not share that information, which is why I
admire you. It is difficult because the loss for you is greater and
personal.

My heart goes out to you. God bless you.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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