Treating

[powwer]

Should I be treating for mites and FBD even if I don't have any signs of it?

[AllenF]

Mites.   Everybodies got them.   There is no question of that.  There are no bees here that do not have them.   There was a good write up in Bee Culture last month on whether to treat or not.   Treat them in the fall regardless.  I went a couple of years without treatments and my winter losses were 50%.   That got hard after a while.  I treated this year without checking mite counts.  It is hard to keep a sick hive going after the mite counts have become overwhelming to save the hive.  I think it is like the flu shot for my bees. 

[Michael Bush]

FBD?  Foulbrood?  It's usually AFB (American Foulbrood) or EFB (European Foulbrood).  Last time I used antibiotics for prevention of any kind of foulbrood was 1974 and I feel foolish for doing that...

[powwer]

Ahh yes AFB is what I ment. Thanks from both of you