After the problem with tracheal mites was in hand, varroa mites struck. Tubbs began treating his hives with Apistan Strips, plastic strips filled with a pesticide that bees brush against, killing the mites on their bodies. This treatment is not used when bees are producing honey. Tubbs caught the mite infestation by chance before it became a problem. While the treatment for varroa mites is currently effective, there have been reports of mite resistance to the pesticide, Collison said.
Treatment is also expensive and the battle never ends.
Phyllis Turbeville has helped her husband, Don, raise bees as a hobby in Ocean Springs since 1986. The couple have two hives in their back yard in town, and 14 more in the country. We lost two hives this year from varroa mites. Around 1993 we were wiped out by mites. We weren't prepared to handle the mites and had to start all over again.