" I am swamped with reports about how minuscule amounts help mites in sub lethal doses...  All garbage science."

Why is this garbage?  Do you mean to say that synergisic effects between mites and chemicals vis-a-vis their effects on bees is impossible?

And Pete, the "preponderance of evidence" in peer-reviewed published studies is equivocal at best.  Just look at that bibliography I sent to the list last month, and am still working on.  Only in the land of 'on the ground reports' by folks on this list is there a consensus that neonics don't significantly affect outcomes.  The problem there, as I see it, is that "on the ground" outcomes are based on heavy management and luck.  Not science (no offense meant to Canadian canola researchers, but the fact that you are different up there is a significant question mark when balanced against all those places where things don't work so well).  Soil quality, dosages, plant and insect physiology, pest loads, etc all figure in to the differences we see regionally and there is reason to study all these things because we don't know enough about them.

Of course, heavy management and luck are all that most beekeepers have.  So we are all looking for that "magic formula"...how does one find good forage locations, and apply appropriate management?  How does one avoid the bad luck....since there are more ways than ever to suffer from bad luck?  Even you, Pete, have stories about colony failures that you would not have had 30 years ago.  Heavy management isn't always trumping "luck".  And before you say you "ignored" and "didn't treat" your colonies last year, Pete, keep in mind that what is being called "ignoring colonies" today was "appropriate management" 30 or 40 years ago.  You did plenty with your hives, and they died anyway.

Christina

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