beekeeping using no chemicals at all is the best way if you don't run into any problems with diseases, but a few years ago I lost 3 hives to tracheal mites and figured the bees would fight them off naturally, but they didn't. This year i had an invasion of hive beetles and tried the oil traps, which were catching a few beetles, but it was not combating the problem. I had to make a decision whether to let the bees fight them off or help them out with chemicals, so I put one strip of checkmite + , cut in half on a piece of cardboard and placed on the bottom board of each of my hives, then dug a trench around my hives and poured oil in the trench, then covered it up. I killed the beetles in my hives for this year, but will be keeping a close eye out for the shb from now on. Hopefully someone will come up with a more safer solution in combating this little pest, But for now I am satisfied.
JEFF