Varroa wiped out 50% of commercial hives last year. AS the commericalization and standardization of beekeeping practice continues to be focused on making bees fit to our capitalist needs, more and more toxic routes which actually weaken the bees continue to flourish. Integrated Pest Management is a wholistic approach using principles of "organics" and wholism to approach disease or parasites.

Here are effective and easy non-toxic steps you can take right now to reduce varroa mite damage to your colony, and strengthen your hives. The primary goal is to keep bees in a way that mimics all the conditions of a wild hive. Wild hives are not decimated by varroa - why?

1. GET RID OF THE BOTTOM BOARD & lift colony 2 feet off the ground - By putting a screen bottom board under your hive you effect two factors. A. Mites fall down and through screen unable to climb back up and get a free ride on a bee. B. The increased air to the colony makes stronger bees as they evolve tough to tolerate the weather. Wild hives do not have bottom boards.

2.This is the most critical step you can take. IF you currently use foundation - try to change over to foundationless hives. In the wild bees do not - read do not- create standard cell sizes throughout the hives. In fact, and the most critical truth is that wild bees are smaller that commercial or packaged bees. Natures perfect bee which evolved through thousands of years is smaller. When bees draw their own comb not only do they make the brood comb with a smaller cell size, they also have a different cell size to store honey, and pollen in addition to different cell size for drone brood. Fact is that folks who let their bees draw their own comb, have way less trouble with varooa and many other diseases and mites AND notice that the bees actually over 2-3 seasons REGRESS to a smaller size as Nature intended. Humans uniintentionally created a larger honey bee by forcing bees to use foundation to draw comb. The larger bee just isn't as resistant to all kinds of maladies as the way nature intended.

It is easy to go foundationless. Take a normal frame without foundation and simply place it between two drawn out combes. The bees will attach comb to the top bar and draw it down within the frame eventually attaching to the sides and bottom bars, just as if foundation were in the frame. Ideally if you make your own top bar and bottom bar with a beveled edge to use with standard side bars its even easier to get them to draw comb. But they will draw and attach to a standard frame top bar in your box. Replace frames bit by bit always putting a foundationless frame in between two drawn out framses. Eventually your whole hive body, or super will have drawn comb from the top bars and the bees will make the cell size they prefer.

There is lots of info at www.beesource.com on top bars and their wonders. You can do top bar foundationless frames in a standard Langstroth box.

3. Instead of buying package bees, try to hive swarms. These bees are usually strong and resistant if they've overwintered in the wild.

4. If you must start with package bees, buy a queen that has been bred for grooming and hygeinic behaviour. Bees who groom more have less mites.

5. Stay away from all chemical treatments, you will only weaken your bees over time. Lots of air, naturally drawn comb, lifting the hive 2 feet off the ground, sourcing hives from wild swarms will all serve the bee population in the long run and help you to be a better servant to the bees.

blessings palika