Bob wrote:
> If the list goes back to my statements back then I urged the industry not
> to
> follow the lead of Europe. Sadly the industry did
> embrace the chemical *quick fix* and make the same mistakes as our
> European
> friends.

I had intended to lurk for a while, thinking that I had perhaps stirred up
enough debate, but I cannot let this one pass!

Bob - that is a bit too broad brush for me!  Certainly some in Europe have
made big mistakes, but I am sure that you know that it is not true that
everyone here 'embraced the chemical quick fix'.  A huge amount of time and
effort has gone into pure research that taught everyone a great deal about
varroa and the associated viruses (e.g. the work of Brenda Ball, Norman
Carreck, Stephen Martin).  Many of us have avoided the hard chemicals
completely,  preferring to use soft chemicals, drone trapping, mesh floors
etc. just to buy enough time to enable us to find the best solutions that do
not use chemicals.  For a long time now, there has been great emphasis on
IPM.

No doubt you will correct me if I am wrong, but I always had the impression
that it was our friends in the USA who believed that they could solve any
problem by throwing chemicals (or bullets) at it ... :-)

Peter Edwards
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Who is not troubled by resistant mites (or AFB)!

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