There are some beekeepers that have managed to keep their ''Apis mellifera mellifera'' bees for years without treating them for [[varroa]]. Not all bee populations will manage to survive without treatment though. In order to get an idea of how your colonies are doing it is advisable to count the natural varroa mite downfall on the bottom board. This information will also enable you to include varroa resistance /tolerance into your breeding activities. This is a rather complicated topic and you can surely find additional information outside of this wiki.
*In Finland the following protocol is used to find out if the colony needs to be treated: