There is a lot of speculation on "what would happen" if beekeepers stopped treating hives for varroa mites. Dr. Spivak, recent recipient of a MacArthur Fellows Program Grant, writes:

> Untreated colonies infected with V. destructor die within 6 months to 2 years. Without treatment, 80-90% of hives in the U.S. would likely die within 2-3 years ... in the 10-20 years it would take for the national honey bee population to rebound, crop production would suffer. 

from:

The Plight of the Bees
MARLA SPIVAK University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota
ERIC MADER, MACEVAUGHAN Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, Portland, Oregon
NED H. EULISS, JR. U.S. Geological Survey, Jamestown, North Dakota

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