After reading "Simple Early Treatment of Nucs Against Varroa" (Oliver, American Bee Journal, April, 2013, pg 389) I have thought about the benifits of treating a package before installing them in a hive. My thought was to sugar shake the entire package (minus queen) in an attempt to knock any varroa that may be on the bees. This would also give a good base count of the parasite. As a rule, I have tried to stay clear of chemical treatments, wishing to rely on more mechanical treatments and genetics.
In the artical Randy Oliver suggests that there is real benefit from early spring treatment , focused between old and new queens, when maximum mites are outside of capped brood.
My thought was "dosent that make a package the perfiect place to treat?"
Do you think any benifits from sugar shake out way potential problems (confusing new queen smell, dehydration, stress, ect)?
What about other treatments?
Any thoughts on this by the experienced Beeks?