BeeWeaver was the first commercial beekeeper to stop treating hives with chemicals to control varroa mites. The firm believed the mite would build up a resistance to the acaricides used by beekeepers to kill them, and it would be forced again and again to use stronger chemicals in the firm's hives if the firm did not build a stronger bee instead. Beginning in 1995 the firm started leaving hives untreated for varroa mites and only used surviving colonies as the firm's breeder stock. Beginning in 2001 the firm stopped using any kind of treatment for varroa mites in its thousands of colonies. The firm's chemical free hives produce booming populations and extraordinary honey crops. Commercial, sideliner, and hobbyist beekeepers have enjoyed the same results in their hives headed by BeeWeaver genetics.
