Todd writes
> I would love to see a discussion on IPM. 

I assume you mean, monitoring hives and alternatives to chemical treatments. 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.

Monitoring is the key to any IPM. Mite levels have to be tracked over time. If you have a lot of hives, probably a percentage is going to be sufficient. Ten percent of the hives should give you an accurate picture of the apiary. If the apiary is small, I would do them all. 

I tried drone brood removal religiously for one summer. The levels stayed low until August and went through the roof. That is when I became convinced that the mites were coming in from other hives, not from internal buildup. So far as I can tell, there is no way to prevent that influx.

Ultimately, I realized that in our area, if the hives are not treated in August, they won't make it. I mean, this occurred to me a long time ago but until we had MAQs, there was no practical way to do it. I think MAQs (or some form of flash formic) is the way to go. It seems to be working long term. 

The key phrase in the above is "in our area." The IPM schedule and response will vary according to region and season, of course. That's how IPM works. 

PLB

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