> If as many professional beekeepers on the list have unequivocally stated, bees cannot survive without treatment and as you point out chemicals introduced into the hive by the beekeeper kills bees, what is the solution?  Do we treat or not treat?

Well, we're between a rock and a hard place here, eh? By the way, I didn't say that hive chemicals kill bees (though at times they definitely can), but they can harm the colonies in various ways. 

I am trying to get by using thymol which seems to be the least bad, supplemented by various non-chemical controls. Formic can be used without harming the bees, but it is harsh and difficult to get right. 

PLB

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