We don't treat our hives anymore either. The bees are doing fine. We have lost hives due to cold winters and sometimes they got sick during the spring thaw but no mite problems so far.
I did a search on the active ingredients in the mite medicines offered. Only seen two with ingredients I recognized as natural ones in two of them. They both had thymol. The second one also had menthol and eucalyptol and camphor. The study I read said the extra ingredients didn't seem to make much difference than the one with just thymol.
So I'm wondering if planting thyme which the bees do visit when in bloom would help?
Tori it's only expensive if you keep adding to the bee yard
It is true most bees like to travel to find their food but I have found that certain plants attract them in the yard every year.
Lavender
Crocus
Sunflowers
Blue hyacinth
are the most visited in my yard every year without fail unless I don't have them growing
