10framer,
It is a bit confusing huh? Some mass producing queen operations claim that "A queen is a queen is a queen". Then you have some who promote certain hives as their answer to problems. Others promote a certain cell size. Some sell books, talk on the "academia" lecture circuit, all suggesting they have the answer.
In the end, very few people are actually out there doing selective breeding.
So you ask if VSH queens are a miracle cure. Hmmm. Perhaps a bad choice of words. If you are looking for that miracle cure, whether it be a queen, hive, comb, or any other ideology, those mentioned in my first paragraph are jumping up and down with glee. Beekeepers looking for that magic bullet, that one cure all answer to mites and other problems, are the very same crowd that makes others so popular.
Your questions asked about one specific type queen. So the answer perhaps should explain that all queens are not created equal.
As an example, I harped for years about the poor genetics being brought over in packages flooding the U.S. industry as bees were being imported. I was openly challenged and denigrated in bee meetings as some large operators said that these queen were all the same. Very few could even muster up the energy to say much, since "genetics" did not fit their "ideology" since they have already concluded that their way of beekeeping is best, regardless of any gentic breeding efforts. A real shame.
But read this:
http://www.ecosmagazine.com/?paper=EC12350Now we are told that these bees had near no mite resistance at all. Read the details and see how they compared to Russians. Huge differences. While vsh was not part of the study, it should be clear that there are huge differences in queens, strains, and breeding efforts.
You are asking a question, and getting replies by folks that either are not breeders, or are making their money in other "snake oil" approaches. And by those that have dismissed genetics as being important.
I have folks contact me every year and ask about buying queens since they heard about my operation and have decided not to treat anymore. Somehow they got the impression that if they buy a particular queen, that all their issues will go away. I usually laugh.
Beekeepers seeking the "miracle cure" is why we have so much disinformation in the industry, promoted and propagated by those selling you a pipe dream.
Buy the best queen you can. It does make a difference. Then concentrate on a solid IPM approach. Genetics, equipment options, and management, make up the three prong approach to mite control that is worth achieving.
I think the bee industry is the only one I can think of that denigrates breeding efforts and dismisses genetics as a cure. And I am amazed that some out there talking up their own snake oil, can even be in the same room giving lectures along side some of the breeders trying to make a difference.
Quit looking for a miracle cure. They are many. There are many out there being offered. But you will be disappointed.