Varroa Resistance to Fluvalinate in Florida:
 
The latest (Feb?) issue of American Bee Journal contains an article
documenting fluvalinate resistance in Varroa mites in Florida.  V-mites
in infested hives treated with Apistan strips survived the treatments
with no effect.  Increased dosages (I believe up to 8 strips per hive)
had no effect.  The VERY SAME STRIPS that did not knock the mites down
in hives in Florida were then taken to hives in other geographic areas
of the US (Arizona and elsewhere) and killed the mites in hives there.
Other treatments (Amitraz, among others) used in the original Florida
hives were lethal to the V-mites.  In short, a fluvalinate resistant
strain of Varroa has been documented in Florida.  With the migratory
season already underway, the future of Apistan as an effective treatment
is limited (as if this is new news).  Coming to a neighborhood near you....
 
Regarding Mavrik discussions on BEE-L, the flames roared mightily - I
may have lit a match myself.  Checking the archives I see the first
warning came in Tom Sanford's APIS newsletter (April '92) and discussion
really heated up on BEE-L in '96.  Postings are numerous, the gist of
which go along the lines of "Unsanctioned, untested, no controls for
proper dosage, leads to the demise of Apistan, don't use it, etc, etc."
That Mavrik will kill mites is not disputed.  That Mavrik is for
mavericks also seems pretty clear.  As beekeepers, we will all draw our
own conclusions - some will draw more than one ;)
 
It is evident that the days for the single registered treatment for
Varroa mites in the US are drawing to an end.  The time is NOW to lobby
for more weapons in the beekeeping arsenal to battle Varroa.  Whether
it's formic acid or FGMO or Mite solution or Mavrik or Mitacure or oils
of essence or ApilifeVar or Amitraz or the kitchen sink, the REAL
problem is that we as beekeepers allow our legislators in DC sit on
their fat asses - hell, they're not draggin' their feet - while the
clock ticks away on the only treatment we are allowed to use!  If you
haven't written a letter to your legislator telling them of the Varroa
problem then YOU'RE part of the problem!  I don't like to read politics
on this list, but the few posts of the past few days urging political
action to address this problem are right on!  If we don't speak up,
Washington won't listen.
 
Aaron Morris - being more political than I want to be!