>a leading factor that contributes to mite problems with migratory
beekeepers is the fact if

> they are doing almonds and brooding up their bees in winter they never get
> much of a break in the brood rearing and consequently have large mites loads
> in spring.


Brian, I'm sure that this statement may apply to you northerners, but before
varroa we westerners simply moved our bees to almonds each year, without
feeding or stimulation.  If the colonies were on a decent fall pollen flow,
they could go straight into almonds in early February, and be quite strong
for pollination.  I recall some of the strongest colonies that I ever saw
coming out of Colorado--hauled from freezing dormancy, then exploding in
California.

Bob's observations are again quite on point.  Most commercial beeks are not
breeders.  Those who experimented heavily with avoiding mite control by
using resistant stocks (such as Bob and myself) often suffered major losses
for our efforts.

On the other hand, I see hobbyists, with less mite external mite pressure,
keeping bees successfully with minimal treatments.  To me, they are a
glimpse of our potential future.

Meanwhile, it is dang tough to make a living as a beekeeper.  I'm terrible
at it.  I could be making much more if I simply used a few off label
treatments--they are highly cost effective from a business standpoint.

But there are always some who are motivated by more than profit.  They are
willing to take the losses and do things the hard way.  Kirk Webster is a
model for me (although I've only met him once, briefly).  We often look and
feel foolish, but are just too dang stubborn.  Many of us will likely fail,
but a few are succeeding.

I'm not about to tell my commercial friends who are far better beekeepers
than myself (and far more profitable) how to run their operations.  They are
going to follow success, not theory or faith.  I can assure the List that
there are a large number of commercial operators who are smart, progressive,
and would love to give up synthetic chemicals if they could.

It is my personal challenge to run a small commercial operation without
chemicals.  I have been able to give up the synthetics for some years, and
an now working on learning to minimize or eliminate any "natural
treatments."  I feel that I am making great progress toward that goal, but
not enough yet to suggest it yet to larger operators.

By sharing our successes (and failures), and learning from each other,
without damning each other, we can all progress toward our common
goal--keeping healthy bees profitably, and with the least chemical inputs.

Randy Oliver

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