I considered the formic/oxalic acid resistance question from the boric
acid-cockroach perspective. After years in the food industry, I've had
plenty of experience with roaches, and I can't stand them-but I respect
them. I've seen the resistance factor to standard pesticides.
  One day in the early 80's, a female brown-banded cockroach, with a
fully-developed egg case ready to drop, wasn't slowing down after a big
burst of Brand X City-strength . Over about 20 minutes, I repeatedly
administered point-blank sprays. The subject lived through over half a can.
In the final analysis, it's probably the petroleum distillates that took her
out.
 I 'd heard about boric acid and checked it out.A stomach poison and
abrasive to the exoskeleton, it kills within 3-10 days. That's to slow for
many Americans, but once they-the roaches-start dying they keep on doing so.
An application lasts for months if it remains dry.  Borax-considerably
cheaper than boric acid-is also effective. I don't know about actual cost
per kill; its a hell of a lot less than pest control fees.
 I can understand by its chemical and mechanical nature why it is not likely
to foster resistance.
 What might be different with organic acids such as these two?  My first
inclination was to think like Bob-that it was an application problem. But
what if it isn't? Of the top of my head I'm going to suggest that there may
be some unforseen interaction between one of these compounds and some aspect
of mite bio-chemistry that allows for detox and is survivable in all other
aspects. This may or may not seem far-fetched, but these compounds are
widely distributed in living things; check out
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formic_acid for a little info.Here is an
excerpt from the last section:
  " Formic acid is readily metabolized and eliminated by the body.
Nonetheless, some chronic effects have been documented.    Some animal
experiments have demonstrated it to be a mutagen, and chronic exposure may
cause liver or kidney damage.  Another possibility with chronic exposure is
development of a skin allergy that manifests upon re-exposure to the
chemical."

 These effects are on humans.I understand the risks of extrapolation. I'm
trying to indicate an intimate involvement with biochemistry across several
domains exists.Roles as allergenic and possible mutagenic suggest that
(chronic?) sub-lethal dosing could provide a crucible for any extremely
unlikely  interference with genetic or immunological processes in Varroa.
  I'm not presenting  an hypothesis here as much as a reminder that nature
is complex; organic chemistry mind-boggling. What seems to be obvious and
common sense might  not be after all.  Sometimes the more we want something
to be true, the more we want to believe in it.
 We all can surely agree that in the long run, we probably  won't have to
worry about chemical issues; some form of genetic manipulation will handle
everything. In the long run , we are all dead. I'm kind of thankful that it
is a real long run I'm talking about, because I'm not sure how much genetic
manipulation I could stand. Anybody remember the song "In The Year 2525," by
one hit wonder Zager and Evans?
So for now, I'm behind conventional genetics for the honeybees' problems.
Fortunately, (I think) nature has provided a tremendous toolbox with the
properties of that genetic structure.
That is why I firmly embrace the ideas  of Bob Harrison and Dann Purvis. If
you haven't yet, go to the Purvis Brothers Apiary site and read the
philosophy. As my livelihood is not dependent upon beekeeping I've decided
to follow  the zero-treatment survival-based approach,  in my quest for a
locally-adapted strain combining some of the best, most resistant lines
available. I am not a commercial beekeeper-yet, but should the day come,I'd
rather replace 1,000 queens yearly than 1,000 queens plus  X,000 chem strips
or pads .
I don't know the answers, but I'm always curious.While I don't enjoy it, I'm
not afraid to be wrong, especially if it leads to different areas of focus
or deeper analyses; or any manifestation of an open mind.
We're gonna get through all this stuff. I don't know when; I don't know
precisely how.Some people will have it much worse than others, and nothing
is ever completely fair. Along the way, perhaps the only thing we can
effectively control is the collective level of rancor versus collaboration.
Happy Holidays to All!
My deepest appreciation for all men and women in uniform, and their
families, for the sacrifices they make in the name of this country.
Tim
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