> The best option is to start with resistant bees. If you have a dependable source for these, it would be wisest to requeen all the hives with them. The non-resistant will tend to be reservoirs for mites.

> This statement  That Peter makes is why a discussion on IPM is awkward at best.   Having spent 1000's of dollars in pursuit of resistant genetics, I would strongly disagree with that statement.  So far no queens have shown any promise.

Hi Charles,
I don't mind having discussions that are awkward. The question of mite resistance (or tolerance) in honey bees is thorny, of course. Claims have been made, and people have experienced rising expectations and disappointment. 

Mite resistance/tolerance is certainly a fact for tropical bees. Apis cerana and the African bees do not succumb to varroa the way the European bees (especially in the North) do. 

Regional feral stock, Russian bees, and VSH bees have demonstrated a degree of resistance which has allowed some people to forgo chemical treatment. Others have been unable to make it work.

I trialed Texas queens vs. queens from Florida and observed a marked difference in mite buildup between these strains. Now it could be because the Florida bees were highly susceptible, and not a valid control. 

But either way, it shows some strains are more or less resistant, hygienic, whatever you want to call it. Obviously, these types of traits need to be maintained, as the bees tend to revert to the unselected baseline.

In any case, IPM means integrating any and all techniques as required, utilizing non-chemical controls where they succeed and chemicals as a last resort. In this, the principal incorporates the best approaches and rejects nothing. Unlike, for example, organic farming.

PLB

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