>
> >For hobbyist beekeepers with only a couple of hives, what is the
> conventional wisdom for treatment against mites?


Dennis vanEngelsdorp presented data this week at the Calif Queen Breeders
mtg that indicated that a great number of small scale beekeepers use no mite
treatments whatsoever, but that they also have higher losses than those that
do.  This was a correlation only, but likely also causal.

On the other hand, I know of many recreational beekeepers who successfully
keep bees with some degree of natural mite resistance, and experience no
greater losses than those that do treat.

I suggest monitoring your mite levels by some method, and treating if levels
get excessively high.

So, as a direct answer to your question, see
http://scientificbeekeeping.com/miticides-2011/
-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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