> They are almost all bacteriastatic, they don't kill the bacteria, they just stop it from reproducing.  take away the antibiotic and the bacteria start right back up again.  The drugs just give your body's immune system time to work, it does the killing.  

This is how antibiotics control Foulbrood. They prevent the bacteria from growing. Sooner or later, all the spores have either germinated and died, or else the bees have removed them through normal housekeeping processes. Of course, while spores are present in the combs, the infection can recur.

> I am fascinated by the idea that there might be bees that purposely disrupt mite mating cycles to keep their numbers in check.

This is what hygienic / VSH bees do. They detect and remove the mite infested pupae, disrupting the life cycle of the mite. Unfortunately, there may be trade offs. Greater nest cleaning activity may result in reduced foraging. Greater vigilance on the part of the bees may correlate to generally aggressive behavior. 

We have to think long and hard about what changes we can accept. I submit that lower productivity would be offset by lowering the costs due to parasitism. Dead hives produce nothing, so obviously bees that can survive will produce better returns than ones that don't. 

Aggressive behavior is another story. Many, even most, would willingly use miticides if it meant keeping docile bees. Others have learned to live with irritable bees in order to reap the benefits of having healthy bees that require less attention. The bees I have now are hot, but they settle down quickly. Mite levels are staying low so far. 

PLB

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html