i've been reading as much material on beekeeping as i can come across, sifting through the good and the bad and recently i've had an opportunity to speak with someone who used to be an avid beekeeper, but woefully gave up because of the mites. he found that his bees became an "annual" hive rather than a "perennial" hive (i.e. he was replacing them every year because they'd die from mite infection) and said it was just too expensive and depressing to see his hive die every year. is this the current fate of many of you hobbyist-beekeepers (and your hives)? it's so depressing to hear my friend talk about "the good old days" that he used to spend with his hives, and now he won't even consider getting started again. given he has so much experience, how could i hope to as a novice to embark on such a hopeless hobby? any words of encouragement would be appreciated! thyme