Hello Jim & All,
Thanks to Jim for his educational post! Although similar posts are in the
Bee-l archives it never hurts to cover the topic again especially when the
topic is under discussion. Thanks again Jim!

The U.S. beekeeping industry is a very small industry compared to other
industries when trying to get a chemical registered. We would never have had
either Apistan or Checkmite if not for the efforts of a small number of
beekeepers and several owners of beekeeping supply houses.

I had been involved in the beekeeping industry around 25 years when the
first tracheal mite was found in the U.S. in the mid 80's.

I was in the first heated  debates over putting a chemical strip in a bee
hive. We were told the risks by our researchers. Now we are  about to the
end of the period of chemical strip use. The strips are not reliable now in
most areas of the U.S. Use with care and make sure the strips are working
regardless of your area in the U.S.

Now that brood nest wax contamination levels are causing serious problems to
the bees (not yet a problem of honey contamination reports packers which are
testing) which is showing up in many areas as about half of normal honey
production and poor pollination results.

What I am about to write many will find startling .Possibly never spoken by
a beekeeper before.

Growers judge the pollination abilities of a pollination hive simply on the
number of bees/frames. I have seen in California and other places strong
hives of bees acting like in a stupor when hives of other beekeepers are
flying full blast pollinating. Many on the list may not have seen hives in
orange, apple or almond groves in bloom but  on a nice day a hive which is
not flying is rare (at least used to be). After several years of pondering
the problem the conclusion I believe is the same as many researchers see in
apiaries tested with chemicals. The bees simply are overwhelmed by chemicals
from contaminated brood comb wax and forget to forage and even forget the
way back to the hive!

Jim said:
    A new chemical treatment will only put a Band-Aid on the problem and buy
a little more time.

A new chemical version of an old chemical now in use is in the works I was
told a couple months ago by one of the largest bee supply houses in the
U.S.. The old version was the worst wax contaminator we have seen so far so
I asked about wax contamination. The dealer just shrugged his shoulders and
said the strip which will kill the super varroa is what the industry wants.
The new strip is as Jim says simply a band-aid and not the answer to our
situation!

We need real solutions. Sadly voices like mine, Dennis Muriel, Dee Lusby,
Medhat N., Zach H., Dr. Pedro R, and many bee lab researchers are not being
heard.

Sincerely,
Bob Harrison

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