Beeblebrox wrote: ↑05 Nov 2018, 20:03
> what is popular in your area or indeed are you considering not treating at all?
I don't treat and most of the experienced beeks round me don't - IF you ask them. They tend to keep heir heads down on this as the pro-treatment lobby is so aggressive towards non-treaters.
Hi Beeblebrox and welcome to the Forum.
That is interesting to hear. I am not surprised that some folk get exercised about variations from accepted normal practice. Beekeeping does attract some strongly held opinions - its nothing new (see Thomas Cowan, Herrod Hempsall, R.O.B. Manley et al and a few thousand others ...).
I am particularly interested that you mention that most of the experienced beekeepers around you don't treat. Around here it is the other way around. I saw a report a while back from an area on the Welsh borders I think which suggested most beekeepers there did not treat either.
The beekeepers around me that don't treat seem to lose their bees fairly consistently but that is not necessarily a causal link, it appears to be at or after year three generally. They are generally more "let alone" in their management so it could be other things as well.
Since none of us want to spend money on treatments unnecessarily nor treat bees with anything just for the sake of it, I am interested in what else they might or might not do instead - is it they just consider varroa no longer the big Bogey it once was?