Humdinger (from People's Republic of Oklahoma) started quite a bit
of exchange on the problem of pesticide use against mites.  On the
28th he wrote:

>Untreated colonies, I understand, will perish in two years or so; however,
>the experiment of non-treatment, in my view, merits a periodical
>verification, especially for those non-commercial beekeepers.  I would
>like to hear from those who have not treated for awhile.

    Others chimed in, with general (it seems to me) recognition that
chemical treatment of colonies is stop-gap.  Keeping colonies alive
by the use of pesticides results in the maintenance of weaker bee
strains.  Allowing mites free reign, by contrast, can eventually
result in stronger, mite-resistant strains.

    Of course, commercial beekeepers cannot allow death of most of
their colonies.

    In the September 1999 issue of the AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL I
published a letter that outlined what Paul Cronshaw and I have been
doing on a small scale in Santa Barbara.  Paul has collected swarms
and bee colonies from trees and houses that have never been treated
for any pestilence and that have not been escaped swarms from
beekeeping operations.  For details one can read that account.

    In short, the colonies in that remote yard (to which they had been
moved) continue to survive without ANY treatment (nosema, AFB,
tracheal mites, varroa mites, etc.).  As I wrote in 1999, "While many
might favor the conclusion that feral bee colonies in this area may
have become resistant to varroa mites, one can consider another
hypothesis - milder mites."

    Unfortunately, we now have Africanized honey bees in our area, so
it is only a matter of time before cessation of our experiment.

    However, others who have large remote areas nearby could conduct a
similar experiment and perhaps end up with a stronger strain of bees.

                                                Adrian

--
Adrian M. Wenner                (805) 963-8508 (home office phone)
967 Garcia Road                 [log in to unmask]
Santa Barbara, CA  93103        www.beesource.com/pov/wenner/index.htm

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*
*    "T'is the majority [...that] prevails.  Assent, and you are sane
*       Demur, you're straightway dangerous, and handled with a chain."
*
*                                    Emily Dickinson, 1862
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