Charles,
Looks like you might not be familiar with the work of John Kefuss.
He's been breeding Treatment Free queens in the south of France since the 1990's.
http://www.meamcneil.com/John%20Kefuss%20Keeping%20Bees%20That%20Keep%20Themselves.pdf
and a paper he published in 2016 after many years of data collection showing commercial scale treatment free is possible in open mated conditions.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00218839.2016.1160709
Kirk Webster, Les Crowder, Solomon Parker...there are lots and lots of people now having success with Treatment Free bees...
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