quote:

Who knows what would have happened if the softer chemicals, IPM, small cell,
Russian bees, SMR, etc. had not appeared over the horizon. And they wouldn't
have, if some individuals didn't have the determination to swim upstream
against the prevailing current.

Response:

Not true. Beekeepers have been using a variety of techniques from the very
beginning. If grease patties, essential oils, screens, etc, would have
worked as well as insecticides, they would have been widely adopted instead
of chems. Chemicals have always been viewed as a last resort. No beekeeper
ever *wanted* to put chemicals in the hive, knowing full well that honey's
reputation as a natural product could be ruined by such practices.
Beekeepers do what they have to, to keep their bees alive. Every beekeeper I
know wants a non-chemical alternative. That is the prevailing current.

Look into the history:

"Varroa mite [was] found in Indonesia (Oudemans 1904), Singapore (Gunther
1951), and USSR (Breguetova 1953); it was found on Apis m. mellifera in Hong
Kong (Delfinado 1963) and Philippines (Delfinado 1963). It quickly spread to
the Peoples Republic of China (Ian Tzien-He 1965), India (Phadke et al.
1966), North Korea (Tian Zai Zai Soun 1967), Cambodia (Ehara 1968), Japan
(Ehara 1968), Vietnam (Stephen 1968, etc."

-- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l for rules, FAQ and  other info ---