Dee writes:  “Some I just don't understand treatment protocols that keep 
the mite population at low levels before and during the period when the 
winter bees emerge, which is prior to Aug/Sep/Oct timing then.......”

Dee, 
   That of course depends on where you are located.  In my neck of the 
woods, Western Washington State, I doubt if any bees that emerge in July or 
even early August are going to be around going into winter.  I think the 
whole point Peter and others have been trying to make is that by treating 
as early as possible AFTER you have taken off the honey supers, you get the 
mites knocked down before the winter bees are even hatched.  That way when 
they emerge they haven’t suffered the effects of heavy parasitation.  

   Anyway, I’m not sure why you would enter into a discussion of treatment 
protocols when you are so religiously opposed to any kind of treatment.  
For people who are interested in trying small cell beekeeping you are 
the “go to” person and you have a lot of valuable information to offer.  
But the religiosity of you viewpoint is impossible for me to ignore, and it 
belies sufficient scientific objectivity on your part when it comes to 
looking at methods that aren’t in alignment with yours.  On the other hand 
I do think that we need to keep looking closely at what all the effects of 
what we are doing are, whether it be treating with chemicals or shrinking 
the size of foundation cells.  There is still a lot we do not know.  

Steve Noble      
      

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