Peter Borst said:

> The assertion was made that screened bottoms were *never* meant
> to be used alone but with other treatments. If you look at this history of
> it, however, it was claimed that the bottom board could *eliminate*
> chemical treatments...

I cannot comment upon or defend whatever assertions were (or are) made
about screened bottoms, but it should have been clear from the start that
screened bottoms can only be one PART of an IPM program to control mites:

a)  Mites can "hang on" in sufficient numbers to thrive, since they
     come from a part of the world where feral bee colonies abound,
     and make their nests "in the open", which would be the ultimate
     "screened bottom board".

b)  Therefore, one needs some second mechanism to make the majority
     of mites "loose their grip" and fall in the first place.  (Sugar dusting,
     Apistan, whatever.)

c)  There are some Asian bees that were reported to "groom" mites off of
     each other, which might explain why the mites are less of a problem
     for them - the bees themselves are the "second mechanism", but even
     this only controls the mites, and does not eliminate them.

d)  Once mites do fall, a screened bottom makes sure that they die.

I think that many people have it backwards - they see a "sugar roll"
as a mere diagnostic tool, and a screened bottom as a "mite killer".

The opposite appears to more accurate.  The screened bottom board
is a good way to get a "body count", and sugar dusting is a good way
to turn more mites into dead bodies on the sticky paper under the
screened bottom board.

As for accusations directed at woodenware vendors regarding cynical
claims, I don't think that this is fair.

I think that the vendors were simply repeating the research cited by
Mr. Borst.  While one could critique them for not thinking clearly, this
criticism should be directed at other parties.  I think that the woodenware
vendors are much less to "blame" than the researchers and beekeepers,
who appear to have ignored things like the simple "knowns" listed above.

In general, there is no "magic bullet".  There are no "easy answers".
There are "elegant solutions", but they are neither "easy" nor absolute
"answers".  Reality simply does not work that way.

        jim