Hi there,
 
    Our discussion related to alternative treatments against
varroa is step by step full of surprises for me.
 
    At the beginning I wanted to discuss with you about
"new" ideas, "new" principles, to give you reasons to think
in a more flexible way.
 
    What I've got from some of you: nervous answers,
ironies, irritability.
 
    It's possible that my way to explain my opinions -on
this GLOBAL problem, which affects ALL of us- was not either
very "diplomatic"; also, my English is not perfect so...
there are several reasons why some of us are now in
disharmony.
 
    The problem being so important for all of us, I would
like to give you more "food" for your thoughts.
 
    So...
 
* varroa "disease" has many similarities with the human
cancers:
 
    - it comes usually slowly;
    - it gives only few signs (symptoms), if any;
    - it is usually aggravated by cold, lack of blood flow
in the affected areas;
    - it is improved by warmness and enough blood flow
having enough oxygen and nutrients;
    - it comes easier to depressed persons, having a weak
immune/deffense system etc., etc.
 
 
* how does the "classical" doctors treat this very complex
disease? By "cuttings" (surgery), "burning" (radiotherapy)
and "poisoning" (chemotherapy)... General rate of success:
8%...
 
* how does the "classical" beekeepers treat varroa? Mainly
by trying to poison this dangerous parasite.
    Results: in some areas 50-100% good results, in other
areas 0 (zero) results; are these "0" areas diminishing in
size? NO, they are increasing!!!
 
    Shall we stay with stubbornness in applying ONLY this
"chemotherapy" for our "cancerous" hives even if we see our
"neighbours" dying of the SAME disease, by applying the SAME
chemical treatment?
 
    What I'm trying to tell you here, my friends, is that
there are many other methods to PREVENT and TREAT this
"cancer" and we do not need in these, I dare to say,
dramatic times, to stay in a passive, "conservative"
waiting...
 
    In the alternative (natural) medicine, the human cancer
is treated mainly with:
 
        * stimulation of the immune system;
        * improving the blood's: a) flow; b) level of
oxygen; c) temperature; d) quality (more nutrients,
anti-oxydants, vitamins etc.);
        * decreasing the depression related factors, as much
as possible;
        * detoxifying the body etc., etc.
 
    Almost none of the above methods (except the one with
breeding new races of varroa resistant bees) are applied
actually in the "classical" beekeeping.
 
    As I said several times, if we shall apply the
alternative methods in fighting the varroa "cancer" we will
have much better chances of success.
 
    Some more thoughts...
 
* the aromatherapy of varroa disease depends, like ANY other
therapy (included the obsolete "apistanotherapy") to the
DOSE of the applied active compounds;
 
* of course that if you will give TOO MUCH from a natural
product (see here the essential oils or the organic acids),
you will have poor results;
 
* yes, there are experiments which shows that the essential
oils can destroy up to 90% of the varroa population and so
much from the bee population, but these results came because
those researchers didn't reach YET the best applying method
and dosage; but, believe me my friends, there are already
MANY people which found the answer...
 
* I sent you recently, just as an amateur in beekeeping, 11
(eleven!) alternative methods useful more or less in the
treatments against varroa; I found many reports related to
most of the above 11 methods just by reading e-mails from
other beekeeping lists (like "Abeilles"), by reading
beekeeping magazine articles (especially "Bee sCene" from
Canada) and by speaking PERSONALLY with MANY "alternative",
"ecological" beekeepers from United States, Germany, Canada.
 
* Varroa disease being a very complex disease, it requires
a very complex treatment too; here I agree that the simple
aromatherapy with only 1-2 essential oils may not be enough,
 
but if we will apply as many as possible from that 11
mentioned alternative methods, we will have, FOR SURE,
better results. This is not only my opinion, but the general
opinion of thousands of other people/beekeepers/researchers
from all over the world...
 
    I do not wish to continue the polemic with my last
"friends" just because I have other, better,  things to do.
 
    So, I am not willing to waste my time and energy in
trying to convince some of you that a new era will come in
beekeeping too, like in human medicine.
 
    Before I will close (from my side) this discussion,
please let me give you, dear "friends" only one advise:
 
    Before you give any opinion about a new method, concept
or principle try to study it carefully!
 
 
        Sincerely yours,
 
    Stefan Stangaciu, MD, LAcup.
       Constanta, Romania
         [log in to unmask]
 
 
PS Some of you asked me for references on alternative
therapies against varroa. Below you will find only a few of
them.
 
If you will be willing to really study these new methods you
will find them! If you will stay ONLY with "Apistan & Co"
you will probably lose...
 
Here are ONLY FEW references. I hope the French titles will
not be a big problem for you to translate. Use "Altavista"
IF necessary.
 
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- Prof. Scott Daniels, Acadia University 11/97 : Travaux sur
l'utilisation d'un ivaporateur d'acide formique.
 
- Diffirents travaux prisentis ` l'ESA Annual Meeting 12/97
(Entomological Society of America), entre autres ceux de
Lindberg,
Melathopolos, Winston & Smith sur l'action miticide de
diffirentes
huiles organiques.
 
- Hans Ulrich Thomas (Zurich, CH) coll. Federal Bee Research
Lab
(Leibefeld)  :  Travaux sur les mithodes de contrtle
organique de
Varroa.
 
- Dr Frank A. Eischen, entomologiste USDA Agricultural
Research
Service (Weslasco) qui a testi l'action sur Varroa de la
fumie de
40 plantes diffirentes, avec des risultats extrjmement
efficaces pour certaines d'entre elles.  Publii dans
Agricultural
Research Magazine ao{t 97 sous le titre "Smoking out bee
mites".
 
- Wescott & Winston  :  Sublethal effect of acaricides,
menthol and
formic acid, on honey bee development and honey production.
 
- Harbo John  :  Destruction du Varroa par la chaleur,
Agricultural
Research Service, report number 70080 approved 01/05/96.
 
- Feldlaufer, Kochansky & Shimanuk : The use of sterol
inhibitor to
control the greater moth galleria mellonella. Agricultural
Research
Service.
 
- Feldlaufer & Hartfelder, Agricultural Research Service
report 72488
approved 05/08/96.  Travaux sur l'usage des sterols sur
varroa.
 
- Dr Ingemar Fries, Bee Division of the Swedish University
of
Agriculture, Uppsala, Sweden  :
Use of organic acids against varroa
 
- Dr. Pedro Rodriguez ( [log in to unmask] ):
Research and findings on food grade mineral oil...
 
- Medhat E. Nasr, PhD.:  Development of a safe method for
applying formic acid to control bee mites in honey bees
colonies. Canadian Beekeeping, Spring 1995 (vol. 18, No 7).
 
- *** An alternative, Single Application Formic Acid Mite
Control Method: Bee Scene, vol. 13, # 2, March 1997.
 
- Alida Janmaat, Department of Biology, Simon Fraser
University, Burnaby, BC: How Does Pollen Stress Affect a
Varroa Mite Infestation. Bee sCene, vol. 13, # 2, March
1997.
 
- Edward Southwick: Mite Resistance: Active Defense by Honey
Bees. Bee sCene, vol. 9, # 1, January 1993.
 
- James Amrine, Terry Stasny and Robert Skidmore, University
of West Virginia: Using Essential Oils for Varroa Control.
Bee Scene, vol. 13, # 1, 1997.
 
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