> Regretfully the North American method of bee keeping is maintaining
> susceptible bees. Whereas in the UK the bad were allowed to die, mainly
> because in the first instances there was no treatment for T-mites, here
> they are medicated and therefore perpetuate... <snip>  As I have said
> many times, T-mites are still a major problem, they are just masked by
> medication for V-mites.
 
Hmmm.  I have wondered about this.  No one has so far shown--to my
knowledge--that Apistan has much if any effect on TM.  I wonder why.  I
think the vast majority of V-mite treatment in Canada, as well as the USA,
is Apistan(r).  This accounts for all of North America AFAIK, so I don't
quite follow the reasoning.
 
> The average bee keeper thinks it's more cost effective to slap a grease
> pattie on and forget it!!!  As I said before perpetuating the problem.
> <quoting original post>" ...only two showed slight traces of mites. The other had
> found a colony with around 100% infestation "tracheae absolutely black
> with mites" and was treating with grease patties..."<end quote> As I said
> perpetuating the problem. Wouldn't a better solution be to re-queen with
> the first guy's stock?
 
Well, it is not clear from the original post that there are stocks from
several suppliers here.  As far as treating with grease patties is
concerned, my understanding is that the patties are not a quick fix at
all.  They have to be on continuously--year round--to have much effect and
that they do not *cure* TM problems, merely reduce them--after a time.
 
FWIW, we used one round of oxytet treated patties this year from the early
spring until they were consumed several months later, and have noticed *no
reduction* in TM levels from last year.  However we had no controls and so
we do not know if the TM levels would have been higher (or lower) without
the patties.  What we do know--FWIW--is that we saw *no* AFB in 2,000 or
so colonies this year and our oxytet bill--and labour to apply it--is
about 1/3 of previous years.  (We also fed oxytet in syrup the first
several rounds).
 
> > wintering bees this does not have much effect in a short winter.  If
> > you live in an area where the winters are long, hard and unbroken
> > and breeding is delayed. the situation changes and you can well have
> > the old bees dying off faster than the young are produced.  Thus you
> > have an apparently healthy colony in midwinter collapsing in March
> > or April.  In such a situation I would accept that autumn testing
> > and treatment would be necessary.
 
As mentioned earlier, fall is often too late to treat in Canada, since the
winter bees are already damaged.
 
> I think the best analogy would be to ask. How well do you perform
> when your lungs are full of junk? I had double pnuemonia a couple of
> years ago, almost killed me, what does the same thing do for your bees?
 
Sounds reasonable, but is is a bit of a stretch as an analogy.  More like
inhaling a handful of bees I think :)
 
Allen