In article <[log in to unmask]>, Garth
<[log in to unmask]> writes
>I have enjoyed reading all the posts on bee mites and have thought
>about it a bit.
>
>
>In Australia I believe the CSIRO there was also researching and using
>at one stage a form of biological control for flies where female
>flies were irradiated, making them infertile and then dropped from
>planes over infested areas, resuuulting in males mating and wasting
>their time - birthcontrol/bugcontrol scenario.
>
>Now, both of these systems are fantastically successful and have
>little in the way of scary side effects (like those of for instance
>fluvalinate which is quite a good flea poison I believe).
>Unfortunately they are very effective and wipe out a pest, meaning
>that your trusty agricultural drug pusher cures you and you don't
>come back for the next shot. On the other hand, if it/he/she/they
>sell you something that is easy to use (like
>cocaine/fluvalinate/heroine/DDT) works fast and wears of just as fast
>then they have a good addict, scared to venture off and try something
>else - and spends lots of money on their product. One can be a
>physical adict or an economic/outlook addict.
>
Dear Garth,
 
Recently I attended an annual conference of Scottish beekeepers where I
was due to be one of the speakers. As I was on last it gave me the rest
of the day to listen to all the other talks. The main speaker of the day
was employed by the UK Department of Agriculture as a varroa researcher
and he was conducting experiments into the lifestyle of varroa. He
appeared to have been selected because he was not a beekeeper and thus
would produce results untainted by personal biases.
 
He was the best, most informed, and matter of fact speaker I have ever
heard on the subject. Included in his talk was a report on progress in
varroa research in a number of areas, including methods of increasing
sterility in the mites to reduce the number of mature females being
produced. This research is apparently well under way at a number of
European labs, but it is far too early to talk about any kind of
results. Similar research must be taking place at US locations as well.
So your idea of control by sterility has been taken up and is
proceeding.
 
I cannot help but be puzzled, however, by your comments about the side
effects of fluvalinate. Please let me know just what these are, because
I am not aware of serious side effects from this substance, certainly
none which are in any way at all in proportion to the side effects of
NOT using it. I can tolerate the build ups in wax, which have been
scientifically demonstrated, and it appears that the real horror stories
about brood death etc are either unproven anecdotal accounts or the
result of gross misuse of the treatments. ( I know several beekeepers
who have now lived with varroa for quite some years, using fluvalinate
once or twice a year, and even they do not find breeding problems in
combs unchanged since day 1)
 
To cause you to group such a substance along with cocaine, heroin, and
DDT (as you did) is a very strong statement about a commonly used
treatment. Please elucidate. Some readers of Bee-L are plainly not as
experienced as you and I, and can take such comments at face value and
possibly act on them. We should be offering calm sensible guidance to
these people, not scaring them.
 
The financial and credibility penalties which would be suffered by any
company offering seriously dangerous substances without giving full
information on the product and its usage would nowadays be extreme,
particularly in the USA. These companies have their own long term
futures to consider so do you really consider they would throw it all
away just to make a fast buck out of a bunch of beekeepers? I don't
think so.
 
Regards
 
Murray
--
Murray McGregor