Clayton, I beg to differ with your statement: "But these viruses are in the background in our hives waiting for the right conditions to manifest symptoms". These viruses are vectored specifically by varroa and as I recently read the Small Hive Beetles. Before the introduction of varroa, Apis mellifera did not have these viral problems. I am not an entomologist or even a scientist. But I have read Bee Culture and American Bee Journal magazines for a while. One article that I remember said after varroa, bees went from having some problems, to bees being directly injected with the viruses and bacteria. How well would people do with being injected with the flu or other viruses?
I have a small apiary and I have brought in VSH bees and soon Martha Carpenter Mite Mauler bees to have the bees help keep varroa under control. But I also treat very frequently to keep the threshold as low as possible until our honey bees can do this on our own. This is what I have done and I recommend that you and other beekeepers become more proactive in dealing with our varroa problem.
I have a small apiary and I have brought in VSH bees and soon Martha Carpenter Mite Mauler bees to have the bees help keep varroa under control. But I also treat very frequently to keep the threshold as low as possible until our honey bees can do this on our own. This is what I have done and I recommend that you and other beekeepers become more proactive in dealing with our varroa problem.