Think you know what it takes to really get your hands clean? See if your technique measures up to World Health Organization standards with this short video: https://youtu.be/IisgnbMfKvI
While I appreciate his work and concerns, the establishment, perhaps as a result of corporate pesticide funding (see my previous post: http://www.psychochickenecofarm.com/2020/03/04/pollinators-and-politics/) has missed a great opportunity to promote a directed evolution approach to varroa control through queen breeding which is safer, more effective in the long run, and the right thing to do from a natural standpoint.
Here’s my response to his article:
I'm glad you mentioned seeking hygenic bees, but the treatment-first approach to varroa control with the fear mongering 'don't spread to your neighbors' and anthropomorphized comparison of human disease to the honey bee is troubling. Treating for varroa without immediate queen replacement of better genetic stock is a dangerous chemical treadmill that favors only the makers of toxic pesticides. You also didn't happen to mention that keeping genetically weak bees alive with treatments will invariably lead to the spread of weak genetics, resulting in increased varroa spread. These weak genes will not only spread to your neighbors hives, but to the feral bee population which is thriving without treatments on its own. This is a wrong headed, short term, chemical approach to an evolutionary problem--and one that will likely only be solved when everyone stops treating their bees and increases their apiary from the 30% or so hives that have genetic traits which mitigate disease and parasite resistance/tolerance naturally. If we don't allow weak colonies to die, we're exacerbating the problem we created by spreading mites and disease around the globe in the first place. Breeding and/or simply making increase from the strongest most disease free hives in your apiary is a globally proven approach to eliminating varroa management from your workload, and it's well past time we started promoting this directed evolution approach over treatments.
It’s worth stating again: 98% of insects are not considered crop pests. Broad spectrum insecticides don’s discriminate between the ‘bad’ and good insects.
It’s easy to get frustrated with our seeming inability to make positive change for the good of the environment (and thus ourselves) when powerful corporate lobbyists seem to have unlimited funds to buy politicians. But as consumers, we actually have a lot of power collectively.
Clean water is a critical natural resource that is in danger of compromise by misguided legislation coming out of the executive branch of government at present, even though there are indications we’re already not doing a good enough job protecting clean water: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-water-foreverchemicals-idUSKBN1ZL0F8
How can you combat regional water degradation? Support a local, organic farmer!
