yeah Randy my comments are strictly from a northern perspective. 

the northern stationary beeks I  know rarely treat in spring while the migratory keepers come back 
, split and need to treat and treat in the fall again too. . 

all the resistant genetics in the world don't seem to matter in an extended brooding cycle. i hear 
from stationary beeks who have success with minimal treatments or no treatments. not hearing 
that from migratory up here. most of the shop rag enforcement actions by MDA are in spring too. 

when bees from almonds  arrive here in April or May we have a huge pollen flow from trees, 
shrubs and dandelion. its build up time and they explode with all of the incoming feed.  if you 
wanted to control mites, giving your bees 2+ extra months on the front end to build up is not 
really a good strategy is it?

we have another segment of migratory keepers who move south in winter and make up new hives 
to move here in spring and skip the almonds. they also sell cells and nucs instead of doing 
almonds to make it worth the move. 

i don't see much likelihood that a bee will be developed that can survive the rigors of cross 
country pollination and extended brood cycles. 

from that perspective you either choose to minimize the buildup of mites on your bees or skip 
over that in favor of income cash flow.  i'm not making a judgement here i'm just stating the 
obvious facts. 

seems like ya can't have it both ways. optimal mite control or almonds. am i missing something 
here?  I';m sure in CA or other warm regions the realities are much different. 

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