On Sun, 10 Aug 1997 13:12:03 EDT Ross L Anderson <[log in to unmask]>
writes:
>Hello everyone,
>        I am in my first year as a beekeeper.  Of course I have
>received many warnings about varroa mites and the inevitable
>destruction of the hives occupants. I am told that apistan strips
> are the official treatment and all others are undocumented.
>  A friend in our local beekeeping association has suggested
>essential oils as good alternative to chemical compounds.
 
Ross:
 
As a new beekeeper, in my opinion, the best advice is to stick to the
tried and true methods for awhile, such as the use of apistan
to combat varroa, grease patties to hold back tracheal mites
and of course Fumidil. All of these should be administered
at the right time and in accordance with standard practices.
 
You will read of many different approaches here on BEE-L, and
I am not knocking any of them.
 
However, I do not believe that it is good practice for someone
new to beekeeping to vary from the standard approach. Wait until you
have more experience and then maybe you can muck around with
other methods.
 
Otherwise, you could err and lose what you have and become
discouraged too early in the game.
 
My 2 cents.
 
Al,
 
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