Hello All,
I have been out of state.


From: "Bob Harrison" " A super mite has been running around California which
seems unaffected by every method of control tossed at it."

To save a rapid rise in beekeeper suicides :), could Bob clarify he meant
CHEMICAL controls.

All I can say is all legal methods in U.S. have been tried with only a
measure of control. I have also been *told* about illegal methods which have
failed  with varroa resistant to both apistan & checkmite.

Beekeepers   never fail to amaze me. Hard to believe Allen has heard stories
of beekeepers using 10 times the dose of Apistan to try and  get control.
Let me say to all those reading on the list that increasing the dosage will
not work (and is illegal & contaminates brood comb) once the varroa become
resistant to either fluvalinate or coumaphos. If you think I do not know
what I am talking about and the fellow beekeeper which said "all you need to
do is increase the dosage for those chemicals to work" does  please contact
the Beltsville Bee lab to hear  the same message as I said above!

Robin said:
 The general belkied has been that mites will develop
resistance to orgamic acids only very slowly, if ever.

Soft controls have got limitations. Why commercial beekeepers are slow to
embrace soft varroa controls. Control in U.S. tests generally falls around
70% for formic  and thymol  (ABJ 2004). Control can certainly be higher and
can certainly be lower when weather problems and application problems
happen.

I have been very satisfied with Api Life Var but I like the varroa tolerant
bees which do not need varroa treatment best!

Many beekeepers are sitting by their fireplace in the north thinking all is
well in their hives. Not until spring thaw will the real problem raise its
ugly head! Only those beekeepers which went back and tested  towards of the
end of the treatment period this fall  and  found the first treatment failed
are aware of the problem. Most I have talked to simply installed the other
strip and hoped for the best as winter set in.

The current problem as described by Lyle Johnston can only be blamed on
beekeepers. Varroa wins again! Beekeepers caught unprepared for varroa
resistance  to chemical strips when they knew  resistance was coming!

Beekeeping history keeps repeating itself and will until we learn from our
mistakes!

Robin said:
 I just hope that is
still true.  IMHO we desperately need acids to bridge the time gap

Formic is temperature dependant. In many areas cold weather had set in
before the beekeeper discovered  their first attempt at control had failed.

ALSO when the first application was done hives were approaching threshold.
Add another four weeks of a failed  control and  hives with a lethal load of
varroa & in most cases advanced PMS.  Formic & thymol will not work as they
provide  slower over a period of time control unlike effective chemical
strips which
will clear a hive of varroa in a hurry WHEN varroa is not resistant  to the
strip.

Both formic acid & thymol work best  when temperatures are ideal and varroa
is not at high levels.

Robin said:
until varroa-tolerant bees have been bred in every area.

I tossed out the small cell advice using the carefully chosen word in my
post  *perhaps* to see  the response. Interesting responses!

Varroa tolerant bees are a reality but in *short supply*. I have not a clue
if the Weavers bees are varroa tolerant but I hope they are! His goals and
mine are moving in the same direction so I wish the Weavers the best . *If*
the Weavers bees do not prove to be varroa tolerant then beekeepers will not
only not trust the Weavers but the rest of us saying we  are indeed  seeing
varroa tolerant bees.

I have accepted the fact  brood comb needs to be replaced for hive well
being. Many beekeepers  are not ready to yet! I also see varroa tolerant
bees to be easier & cheaper than downsizing to small cell.
I see rotating  brood comb as a big expense but see no other alternative.

To sum things up we are seeing all the things Dennis M. sees with his small
cell bees by using  chemical free comb & varroa tolerant bees. Those
beekeepers working with survivor queens see absolutely zero benefit in small
cell. We are trying to apply varroa pressure not give the bees a crutch!
We want a survivor bee which will tolerate varroa in all settings including
large cell comb.

Bob

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