FYI* Ripped off the beekeeping news group as some may be mildly
interested.
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TM>From: tomas mozer <[log in to unmask]>
  >Date: Sat, 04 Oct 1997 11:34:59 -0700
  >Subject: Re: Florida Bee Conditions Sept 97
 
TM>Andy Nachbaur wrote:
  >> FLORIDA HONEY REPORT FOR SEPTEMBER 1997
  >> Quite a number of  bees have been  lost due to the  varroa mites.  It
  >> appears the mites have become  resistant to the treatment beekeepers
  >> have been using.  Bees that are not affected by the mite are in good
  >> condition.
 
TM>andy, what's the source of this report?..
 
Not sure but would guess someone in the Fl. Dept. of Agriculture, like a
state bee inspector. I get it from the United States Department of
Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service.
 
  >could this be the first case of confirmable varroa mite (chemical)
  >resistance in north america, and resistance to which treatments?
  > I have seen unofficial annecdotal reports of such resistance to
  >apistan/fluvalinate from florida,u.s.a. and b.c.,canada on this, the 10th
  >year of permittable use (at least in florida)...but am not aware of any
  >bees not affected by the mite, just variable efficacies of different
  >treatments.
  > any further info would bee appreciated, as well as other reports of
  >recent experiences with varroa and treatment results, or lack thereof.
  >thanks in advance, tomas in fla.
 
Hi Tomas,
 
First there are more reports of beekeepers and researchers not finding
any Varroa in untreated hives that had Varroa last season then reports
of strip failure. Most would not know one way or the other without some
extra testing for Varroa.
 
The USDA bee people from the TEXAS Bee Lab have been working in Florida
and should have by now finished some testing of different chemicals and
strips on Varroa. I can not tell you what they found out until they
publish the report, (if they ever do that), but for sure there may be
little concern about chemical resistance but a whole lot of concern
about product efficiency if what they find is consistent with what
others have reported for many years.
 
This is not the first time testing and concern over the only approved
product for Varroa control in the USA has been voiced. After testing a
few years ago in Washington state that demonstrated problems with the
dosage in the approved product it was then clear that a problem
existed. It is clear what beekeepers are buying now is not the product
approved and pushed originally by our government bee regulatory and
so called bee scientists for Varroa control. Also I believe the quality
of the product may have been and may be less then acceptable by any farm
chemical standards now in use and more then likely a violation of the
laws pertaining to registration of farm chemicals which do include some
expectations of efficiency as originally claimed by registrants.
 
You see once a product is registered no one in the chemical regulatory
industry bothers to check to see if what is sold to the end user is what
was registered. All after registration regulatory effort is put in
making sure the end user jumps through all regulatory bureaucratic hoops
which generate nothing but paper of no useful worldly value to any
living person until it can be recycled years from now.
 
The facts are that any testing for resistance is less then useless
without testing to determine what is being tested is indeed the same in
all tests and every indication has been for several years that it is
not. This allows for the mixed antidotal reports from end users and
other reports of resistance could be based on a faulty chemical
product.
 
I can not say much more then what I have said before, watch out buying a
pig in the poke from any chemical company as their advertising budget
quickly soon is greater then their product production budget and it buys
them respect with those in the bee regulatory-science industry and bee
supply industry that are relied on by beekeepers for good information,
honest or not, and the normal is that they have nothing to lose but
sales if it all blows up unless enough evidence can be gathered to prove
wrong doing which they know for all practicality they are immune from
because of the size and nature of the fractured bee industry.
 
With only one product approved for use we are being held hostage to one
chemical and it is sad that after having our pockets picked we may be
getting a defective one.
 
IMHO ttul Andy-
 
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