Bob wrote: 
My observation two decades ago has not changed. I said to beekeepers in the
U.S. which has been true.
 
"There are two kinds of beekeepers in the U.S.. Those with varroa in their
hives and those which are going to find varroa in their hives".
 
"Eradication of varroa has not happened and was doomed from the start
although some USDA-ARs disagreed with me at the start. Quarantines were put
on migratory beekeepers stopping temporarily important pollination while
varroa infested package bees and queens were still being shipped?

A huge amount of money was wasted *on stopping the spread*.

Smart commercial beekeepers do not try to eradicate varroa but rather keep
knocking varroa back to levels the bees can handle."
 
Melanie writes:
So true! My partner Mark states it as, "pre-varroa beekeepers" and "post-varroa beekeepers". Those of us who have started keeping bees recently see mites as ever-present. We have no pre-conceived concept of how to keep bees that have not been exposed to mites. We cannot reminisce about how it was before varroa so for some of us, myself included, it is essential that we continue to look to control varroa and learn to work with it- vs. against it AND against our bees...because yes, trying to eradicate is a waste of time and money.
 
Bob wrote: 
 When queen breeders ( not queen producers) find a line of bees which can
handle varroa untreated and are similar to the bees we are using most of us
will buy queens and convert over.
 
Unless:
 
We have to keep going back to the same source for these expensive queens
every year to maintain varroa tolerance. If so most of us will simply
control varroa and move on.
 
I have always been puzzled by commercial beekeepers which spend huge
amounts of money on the latest varroa tolerant *supposedly* queens when they
plan to control varroa and treat three or four times a year.

If you are going to treat how do you know the queens are varroa tolerant?

Of course those beekeepers can come up with many reasons why the money is
spent soundly but when you requeen yearly or up to four times a year as some
do its hard for me to see the logic.

Melanie writes:
I believe, like M. Spivak, that there are varroa tolerant strains- it is a matter of finding them. And in order to find them, routine treating must be curbed. So I agree with Bob, there's not much logic to routinely treating bees if you are hoping to introduce or find varroa tolerant strains. 
 
A current case study that I am working on involves 2 commercial beekeepers in the central valley of California. They began introducing our varroa tolerant queens over 5 years ago. One of the beekeepers was forced to try "chemical-free" beekeeping after he poisoned himself using Tactic. After 5 years of introducing varroa tolerant strains and refraining from treating- all the while conducting 7 annual migrations for pollination (including almonds), his bees have remained varroa tolerant. Both beekeepers have found many 2, 3 and even 4 year old queens- that have endured the central valley of California year after year. 
 
He also made it clear to me that he allows his bees at least a couple of months of "dearth" prior to feeding in Jan. for buildup for almond pollination. Though others begin feeding much earlier, he has found that by allowing the bees a slight dearth, they reduce brood and mite levels drop off. He claims that routine feeding throughout the year in California only helps to promote the mites and transmitted diseases/viruses. His bees build up enough to make grade for pollination with less input on his part. 
 
My point is this, if one does want to introduce or transform their management into chemical-free or reduced treatments, then incorporating varroa tolerant strains can help- along with allowing those hives that endure, to be used as breeding contendors. 
 
I am hoping to continue this case study this coming spring in California- will share info as it unfolds. 
Of course diet and environmental circumstances play key roles...much to continue to observe and study. 
 
Melanie
 P.S. Both these California beekeepers now select their own breeding contenders and rear their own varroa tolerant queens from their tested hives. This means, that I have now "lost" two customers. However, I have gained two breeding peers from which to share and exchange varroa tolerant stock. A plus for me as an aspiring breeder and a plus for their and my bees....the ultimate prize.
 		 	   		  
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