> any guesses on what was by far the most common pair of chems? -

Fluvalinate & amatraz the two most widely used varroa mitacides in the 
WORLD.

In the 1987 book "The varroa Handbook" which listed the top 100 chemicals 
which were known at the time to control varroa those were the two deemed the 
safest as far as honey contamination and safe for the bees. Both had been in 
use for a few decades before then.

If your hypothesis was true Brian then why are millions of hives around the 
world doing just fine on comb which has those levels of those chems?

 Randy Oliver and I have pondered the question and it seems to me that bees 
can tolerate a very high PPM of those chems.

Also what I was told by Beltsville.

Not keeping control of varroa and not keeping a handle on nosema has killed 
far more hives in the U.S. over the last decade than comb contamination from 
fluvalinate than amatraz. If you had been with me the last decade looking 
over my shoulder you would believe the same but you have not so we will have 
to agree to disagree!


 the beekeeper which you speak of main mistake was not to contact me first 
instead of Beltsville. When we did speak Beltsville was his source of 
information. I would have set the test up very different than they did. Not 
a single control hive on foundation! I believe he has a comb problem but 
also believe its caused by something other than the high levels of 
fluvalinate and amatraz found in his comb.

When he said he was going to radiate his comb (asked me if I wanted some 
comb done) i advised to do as BELL Honey had done and replace comb. He chose 
to listen to Beltsville. Bell Honey burned comb in Florida (with permits) 
for two months solid. Three and a half million frames . Now he is back to 
square one as the money spent to radiate the comb seems now (at least to 
me ) a waste.  If he had torched the inside of those boxes and started on 
new foundation those package bees I believe he would not be having the 
problem.

I have never been attached to old dark 30 year old comb but I have got 
friends which will not replace comb. In spring in Texas you can warm 
yourself by the frame bon fires of Darrel Ruford and other large operators.

I do not have frames of comb on which fluvalinate of coumaphos have been 
used and the bees look great. However I can take a ride across town and show 
you hives of bees which look as good as mine and the beekeeper has only used 
chemical strips for the last two decades.

bob 


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