The fight against Varroa is obviously one that keeps all beekeepers
busy, even if they have not been plagued by it yet, just the threat of
it is sufficient! That is clear from the sudden amount of responses
on the 'Apistan after 4 years' and 'O/A treatment' subjects.

It is my hope that some good method will soon be found that can get
rid of these mites completely, without the use of any chemicals,
including any acids, thymol and what have you.

But what we have not taken up here yet are some of the methods
that could at least help us to control (or minimize) the amount of mites
to a workable level, through either the small cell beekeeping and/or the
different schemes for drone brood removal.
So my advice would be: don't grab that bottle with acid where the above
named methods can do the same for you.
So let's hear what the results are for the beekeepers that already use a
drone removal scheme or small cell beekeeping.....
Do any of them look like a sustainable way??

I'm lucky so far without Varroa, but "one not so sunny day" they will
even turn up in my few hives, through a dumb action of myself, another
person or just naturally by the bees. No matter what, I will have to have
one of the cleaner countermeasures in place, ahead of the arrival!

Ron van Mierlo

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