I concur in the upper midwest Amitraz is the off label choice I hear about most frequently although access is getting more difficult and convoluted to avoid the authorities. 

I disagree with Allen's position they have no or few viable options. A friend of mine who has shipped 2-3 loads to CA a year for almonds got caught after the fact buying Amitraz through the mail from an out of state source. Mn Dept of Ag was searching records and sent him some happy mail. His fine was doubled when he initially lied about the end use during the complimentary phone call.

Anyhow since then he has burned or sold off all of his brood comb and replaced. He now uses Apiguard and thymol syrup and claims he has fewer losses then before.  He worries most about selling off brood in CA or being able to split here fast enough here upon return before they get into swarm mode.  He also has been more persistent in buying resistant stock and has been buying a lot of queens from Purvis. 

I don't recall his grading percentage in CA but I think it was pretty good. 

He would have sang a duet with Allen 5 years ago. 

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