Treatment Free Beekeeping?

As a Veterinarian I always recommend my clients treat their animals for parasites and parasitic diseases. Our dogs, cats, horses, and food producing animals all get external and internal harmful parasites and parasitic diseases. Fleas, ticks and worms carry a multitude of diseases and act as vectors to other animals and even to people. Ticks carry viruses (Lyme Disease), bacteria (Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever) that are harmful, even fatal to people. There are intestinal parasites of animals that cause serious diseases in people (hookworms, roundworms, tapeworms and more). Veterinarians always recommend that you prevent Heartworm disease by treating your pets with medication and mosquito control. Treating our farm animals for parasites is a food safety issue.

Treatment free beekeeping is controversial. It shouldn't be. Treat your bees the same way you would treat your pets and livestock. It is humane care and good animal husbandry to control and prevent communicable diseases that harm and even kill our bees. It is also being a good neighbor.

The One Health medical view recognizes that public health is really a three legged stool of human, animal and environmental health. We are all connected.