Sucrocide may not be the "cure all" that the Dadant's PR crew would have
you believe but don't "throw out the baby with the bath water".  IMHO it
will prove invaluable in certain scenarios.

A big one is the package and queen industry.  If I were to receive, ship
or sell packages I would want them at least hosed down with Sucrocide,
not to mention using it in the inclosed feed cans and / or the queen cage
candy.

Prior to the "mite wars" the use of package bees was one of the biggest
factors in controlling the spread AFB but quickly became one of the worse
means of spreading mites.  If Sucrocide can significantly "de-Varroa" the
package industry it could have a major impact on the spread of resistant
and "super fecundity" mites on a national level.

The long distant movement of hives, i.e. commercial migratories, might
also benefit from loads being hosed down with Sucrocide while in transit.
Wetting down loads to avoid over heating is already a common practice
under certain circumstances.  The disruption of brood production and
heavy "bearding" in transit could both be turned to advantage in this
scenario.

I have long held that the real long term solution to this mite problem is
to compartmentalize it.  Preventing the spread of various "superior mite
strains" by creating, both cost and time, "effective" bottle necks will
be a major factor in bringing the Varroa problem "to heel".  They are
never going to go away, like AFB, Varroa is an artifact of human behavior
and here to stay, it is a beekeeper problem not a bee problem.  Instead
of the tail wagging the dog, the dog needs to learn to control its own
tail.

 Thinking, "If all you've got are lemons, make lemonade", sorry Aaron I
couldn't resist it.  The devil made me do it, but at least he used two
"a's" not two "r's", in case you didn't notice.

Rip

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