The Dark side of Miticides
"Despite growing concerns over the impacts of agricultural pesticides on honey bee health, miticides (a group of pesticides used within hives to kill bee parasites) have received little attention" Many beekeepers are familiar with the pattern of miticide use to control Varroa destructor mites. When a new chemical treatment is introduced, there is often initial optimism because it promises a quick fix and effective mite population suppression. Synthetic miticides such as coumaphos, marketed as Checkmite, and fluvalinate, marketed as Apistan, completely altered the landscape in the 1980s. Because these chemicals could quickly lower mite loads and save colonies that appeared doomed to fail, beekeepers viewed them as practically miraculous remedies. These treatments provided beekeepers with a dependable tool to fight a threat that had already decimated many hives and made colony management much easier. However, the cracks quickly emerged, as is the case wit...