benign beekeeping?

[johno]

Walking around my yard this afternoon temp. about 55 bees were out and about, saw a dying bee on a top cover checked it out and saw a live mite leaving the bee, squashed it then picked up the bee to have a good look at it and found another mite clinging to it sqashed that one too. All my hives have been treated with formic acid . so I guess that I am going to struggle with these critters until I can get sufficient genetic change into my hives.
John

[Daniel Y]

I don't consider anything about a kept hive natural. I also think that gaining any benefit from pursuing natural methods has a very long way to go. Here is just one tiny example of why

Studies have been conducted on a queens ability to store sperm dependent on just the temperature she is kept at. Queens kept at 34 degrees C where able to store more sperm that those that where kept at 24 degrees C Note larger colonies are able to maintain proper temperatures.

If just one small factor can have an effect. what could the possible effects of a list like Michael has made be doing?

[Tyson Kaiser]

I don't think beekeepers should stop keeping bees any more than I think people should stop keeping dogs as pets. But I do think that beekeepers need to be far more clear in just what they are keeping, and what is necessary for it's care. If feeding and treatment are necessary. then that is the result of making dogs out of wolves.

I loved nearly everything you wrote in this post, but especially this. Thank you.