>It seems to me that if several different approved, proven, and available
>treatments are out there, the best approach would be to develop a rotation
>scheme similar to those available for treating worms (fly larvae) in
>horses.  By alternating between 2 or more treatments, resistance
>development would be greatly delayed, since the pests would need to develop
>resistance to both forms of treatment at once.  Otherwise, those mites (and
>their descendents) that survive one type of treatment would likely be wiped
>out by the second type.

One critical factor that you must take into consideration: Safety.

Cumophos is being issued under emergency conditions to combat two specific
problems. The small hive beetle being the major one, resistant mites a
second. If you do not have either of these problems, then avoid the chemical.

Here is something I think that should be said over and over until we all
get it: Do not depend on 99.9% solutions. Use anything that helps. Here is
some of the list I have been putting together:

1) Screened bottom boards. This puts a slow, steady drain on the mites
population. A constant 5-10% killing of the adult mite population that will
be very hard for the mites to develop resistance against.

2) Good ventilation. Mites that are not attached to a host have a short
life. The screen board gets the ones that fall, good ventilation dries out
those questing for a new host. Mites "leak" and the more air you move past
them, the better the chances that they will dry up and die. Many other
aspects of the hive benefit from good air flow so there is no need to
debate this one. This also helps with the tracheal mites.

3) Fight stress in general. If one area of health is neglected then other
attacks will do more damage. Do not forget that the tracheal mites are
still there and continue to weaken the bees. By now almost all hives have
them, do not forget the grease patties. If a colony is under stress watch
close for brood problems such as EFB and treat fast. If a hive gets into
trouble get the feed on it. Nothing is cheaper than a little 1:1 syrup for
helping a stressed hive.

4) Always follow the label directions. Where the labels allow room, follow
best practices. Adjust to your areas timing for honey flows and winter
conditions.

5) Re queen any hive that stays a problem for too long. A marked queen from
a quality breeder can make your beekeeping experience much more enjoyable.
While I like my home grown queens, they are still the first generation of
purchased queens. All of the larger producers are working with stock that
is much more tolerant of the problems we are seeing.