Bob said;
> All the whining over the price of strips will seem petty when
> faced with beekeeping without chemical strips. Beekeeping is
> about to become harder.

Jim said;
I don't see such a bleak short-term future.

Hobby beekeepers can always order packages and replace losses. Varroa dies
in a short time  after the hive dies.

Most of my posts are geared for the sideline to commercial beekeeper.
Although we only are most likely less than 10% of the list we are part of
the list.

The U.S commercial beekeeper is going to have a hard time  giving up strips.

Both ApiLife Var  ( Brushy Mountain Bee Farm)  & Avachem Sucrose Octanoate
( Dadant Bee Supplies) require testing (before & after treatment) and at
least three  trips for application

ApiLife Var has a 150 day (five month) period you can not collect honey so
use by a commercial honey producer in Florida might not happen due to the
large number of flows they collect honey from.   Not following label
instructions will only come back to haunt you as your honey crop *could* (
if I understand the instructions correctly) smell of thymol.

Avachem Sucrose Octanoate is being claimed  as up to a 100% control. Problem
is each bee in the hive needs to be sprayed with the product frame by frame
for a total of three treatments.

Both the above legal and already approved treatments  will provide
suppression  of varroa mites and  would be harder for the hobby beekeeper to
use than strips but time is of little concern to the hobby beekeeper.

Now consider the time needed to apply the same treatments to around a
thousand hives.

Todd said he would need to apply  the ApiLife Var in his
area before Sept. 8th. Today is Sept. 7 the.and   in our area  not one large
beekeeper is done extracting yet (including myself). One only starting
pulling supers yesterday. I check, medicate if needed  as I Finnish each
yard but many beekeepers do not for various reasons.

THE SUPERS HAVE TO BE OFF BEFORE TREATMENTS CAN BEGIN.

Labor is hard to find these days and its not unusual to find one beekeeper
removing supers, extracting and medicating a thousand hives by himself.


The section 18 was the quickest way to get ApiLife var in the hands of the
beekeeper. ApiLife Var will be fully registered as time progresses in my
opinion.   I believe little proof would be needed of resistant varroa other
than saying you believe you are seeing resistance for the section 18 to be
issued in your state. The
E.P.A. has little problem with ApiLife Var as the product has been used for
years overseas but testing needs to be done in the U.S. for full
registration to be granted as the U.S. does not accept the tests of foreign
countries.

Jim said:
The Api-Life looks like something that does "scale" well, but
I can't legally use it this fall.  Neither can the bulk of
beekeepers in the USA.  That's unacceptable, given what we
all know.

 I agree but believe the section 18's will be easy to get if applied for.

I believe those wanting to use ApiLife Var will find a way.

I have not tested either ApiLife Var or Sucrose Octanoate yet  so can not
say yet how well they work but I have talked to those which have used both
with success. I believe both will be reluctantly accepted by the
sideline/commercial beekeeper when he/she sees there simply is no legal
alternative at present time.

Bob

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