From -- "Implications of horizontal and vertical pathogen transmission for honey bee epidemiology" by Ingemar FRIES & Scott CAMAZINE (Apidologie 32 (2001) 199–214 © INRA/DIB-AGIB/EDP Sciences, 2001):

>In the case of Varroa, which is a worldwide menace to beekeeping, we believe apicultural practices are responsible for maintaining virulent forms of the pathogen.
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>... beekeepers could benefit if they instituted simple practices that reduce horizontal transmission. For example, the size of apiaries can be limited, and colonies can be placed to minimize drifting. Furthermore, the transfer of bees and brood between colonies should be limited as should all practices that increase the risks for within hive defecation of bees or crushing of bees.

The authors are attempting to place the blame for this problem on normal beekeeping practices and suggest radical changes. They are completely unspecific about these changes. What does it mean "the size of apiaries can be limited"? There are many beekeepers with very small apiaries (12 hives) already and the disease problem is not less than those with large apiaries. And how could a beekeeper with 2 or 3 thousand hives put them in groups of 12 , with 5 mile perimeters? This would require hundreds of very small apiaries.

What does it mean "the transfer of bees and brood between colonies should be limited"? Again, some beekeepers never transfer brood, others do it all the time. The authors offer no useful guidelines whatever except "do it less". Do they honestly believe that if we had apiaries of two or three hives, spaced ten feet apart and never crushed any bees, they wouldn't get sick? How does this account for the fact that bees escaped into the wild soon succumb to varroa? Presumably they are far enough from other hives, and are not exposed to *any* beekeeping practices.

I think that NO ONE has adequately explained HOW the varroa mite became so widespread so quickly. The only theory that even comes close (and it is only a theory, so far as I know) is that infested bees may abscond into stronger colonies and take the mites with them. (This is not mentioned in the paper.) But aside from that, it appears that what the authors are describing is the elimination of commercial beekeeping altogether, and possibly that of sideline beekeeping as well. Even to test their theory would mean a cessation of treatments, which I believe would result in the loss of over 99% of the honey bee colonies in the US.