> To any logical thinking outsider almost all of our mite treatments are completely prophylactic in nature.  And in this case we use the same word to apply to "a large group" of people who are using antibiotics for feed.  But  they have data and documents showing that there is a benefit in the vast majority of cases,(obviously some are not documented)  yet we as completely non invested or educated outsiders use that prophylactic term,  as a term to show we are smarter than them and they just wasted something.

First, mite treatments are generally applied once a threshold is reached. Granted, some may not monitor but that is on the assumption that the bees already have mites, so this is not prophylactic (preventive) in any way. 

Feeding antibiotics to get a weight gain isn't prophylactic either. It's using the chemical for a different use, based upon evidence that they can increase weight, irrespective of the reason for it. (I am not defending this practice.) 

On the other hand, several dairy men have told me that they couldn't keep their herds alive without antibiotics. Probably this is due to keeping too many animals in too little space.

These same dairymen were adamant that feeding their bees antibiotics was equivalent, to prevent the spread of foulbrood, which they already had. These are modern dairymen and they don't get why people burn hives that have a bacterial infection.

Mites are another story. Preventing mite buildup is the Holy Grail. I have tried various methods and find they definitely slow the buildup, but do not prevent the hives from passing the threshold.

PLB

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