> If you control varroa then why spend the money and effort [on VHS or hygienic queens].

Why? Because the old way of trying to kill mites with chemicals is bad, that's why. It's bad for the bees, selects for chemical resistant mites, and it's bad for the hives and the honey, which end up with chemical residues. What will you do with your honey if the buyers say they won't buy honey with miticide residues?

The majority of the world's beekeepers are aware that hives are polluted by external and internal chemicals. If they don't know this then they don't know enough about beekeeping and should raise chickens instead. The handwriting is on the wall: the old ways of keeping bees don't cut it. Even if the new ways are not perfect yet, nobody will win if beekeepers don't try to change. 

PLB

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