As per the notion that "mitey" queens might be desirable, if shipped
with strips.  The strips may reduce the mite population but it is
expecting too much if you think these guarantee that the mites have been
eradicated (chemicals suppress, rarely eradicate - at least not for very
long, since the target organism may become resistant).  Other factors
such as application timing, length of time of exposure to the strips,
condition (activity) of the strips, all contribute to the effectiveness
of treatment.
 
Also, Apistan targets varroa, not tracheal mites.
 
Jerry
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