To Allen, Dick and Aaron, thanks for the comments. My background is farm
managment, and 99% of commerical farmers use what works, with the assumtion
that technology will keep up with the bad guys. Is this philosophy
irresponsible? Maybe, but that's where I'm at. I treated with the patties
and the Checkmite in the fall, as there were less bees and brood, and with
the eucalytpus and such, January and Febuary are big honey months.

I got my hives and equipment dirt cheap as they were dying out from mites,
and I notice that when the hives get mites bad, they also get everything
else, including foul brood, and there was some scattered around all my
apiaries. Burning one would be inconsistant in my mind. It's now 6 months
since treatments, and there is no foul brood, and I've only seen 2 mites
out of 120 hives. Hopefully the mites and foul brood spores will be good
enough to waite till October to get really frisky :-)

But in the mean time, what with introducing new blood, including 2 Harbo
breeders, and with consistant and simultanious and exhaustive treatment of
about 5 dollars per hive which consisted of one patty and one strip, I've
had production that I would never have thought possible. No dusting, no
nothing except for the 4 or 5 minutes it took me and my 14 year old to put
in the patty and strip, and to take them out again.

Very best to all

Tim Vaughan