> I wholeheartedly agree with zero tolerance for mites. In
> my FGMO presentations and writings, I always emphazise
> my belief that one mite is one mite too many within a
> hive because of the rate at which mites multiply.

Interesting.  This is the antithesis to the IPM approach.  IPM recommends
tolerating and monitoring pests until they reach, or threaten to reach, an
economic threshold.

What is interesting -- to those of us who actually monitor -- is the fact
that very often the pests, although present, may not -- over fairly long
timespans -- increase in numbers sufficiently to merit treatment.  In my
case, 18 months!

Treatment is costly and always harmful to the bees themselves.  In some
cases, only slightly so, but more often, measurably.  Some treatments are
less hard on the hives than others, but, IMO, the less intervention, the
better.

allen

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