Ken Saylor in northeast Tennessee avoided the catastrophe that has struck many of his fellow beekeepers. He began treating his hives in 1992 with menthol pellets. The bees inhale the fumes and the tracheal mites are killed. Nearby, Joe Stephens of Afton uses Apistan strips to treat his bees for Varroa mites. Last year, I didn't treat and I had an 80 percent loss.
Bees rub against the strips, killing mites clinging to the bees.
When a hive is producing honey, that swells to about 100,000 bees. But there are fears that mites will build up resistance to the menthol and the Apistan. So, the Environmental Protection Agency is looking at formic acid, an anti-mite treatment already approved for use in Canada. There are concerns that formic acid could contaminate the honey. Saving bees is important and not just to those who like a dollop of honey at breakfast or in their tea.