[log in to unmask] wrote: > > So, rendering Varroa extinct is being proposed. snip > W. G. Miller > Gaithersburg, MD Dear Fellow Beekeepers: Please bear with me. I consider this an important message not only to beekeepers but to humanity as well. Parasitic mites of honey bees present a formidable enemy to honey bees and a threat to food production world-wide. It is not only Varroa and tracheal mites. As the rest of the world will soon discover, there is another mite in India which has now claimed Apis mellifera (Italian race) as their choice meal. No one can anticipate or predict mite behavior for the future, only their physical needs . The breeding rate of mites is so short and numerous that they really pose an enormous challenge to scientists to overcome. Hence, the most plausible avenues of conquest of these mites is through interruption of their life cycles with aims at erradication. Chemically, we already know that it can not be achieved because of the mites ability to mutate and develop resistance to chemicals (the fluvalinate story). The solution lies in the utilization of physiological, anatomical and biological characteristics of mites. It took me thirteen years of intensive study to discover a means to employ this combination of factors and to develop an effetive treatment. As promised I have revealed my findings at two public meetings. I seek neither fame nor profit, thus I have no reason for concealing my work. I love honey bees! I feel an obligation to beekeepers in particular and to humanity in general. As I speak, I am making plans for an official publication of my research procedure and findings. These will be available to the general public as soon as I can make arrangements with a publisher(s). I humbly ask for indulgence. I assure all that I am neither lying nor bragging. If my comments sound unusual to some, please reserve your judgement until you have an opportunity to make your own evaluation. Regards. Dr. Pedro Rodriguez Virginia Beach, VA USA