Hello Dennis and All,
> I am running SMR bees on small cell comb and have noticed an abundance of
bee damaged mites in the debris below a screened bottom board. At least
> 50% of the mites show obvious damage by bitten. I didn't look for missing
> legs, etc. Other races are also damaging mites but to a lesser extent.

When did you install your SMR queens?  What are your 24 natural mite fall
amounts now?

> Has anyone seen damaged mites on your SMR bees?

I am not seeing any mites ON my SMR bees. A natural 24 mite drop is zero to
2 mites.  We got our first SMR breeder queens on July fourth. Our production
/open mated SMR queens were made up from brood from spring treated hives.
Without additional information it is hard for me to quess but I will try.

1. I believe you must have made your SMR hives up this spring with a high
varroa load or introduced the SMR queens into a hive with a high mite load.

2.  Or you could have a reinfestation problem which only a chemical
treatment would eleminate.

3.  A third scenario might be that the drones your SMR queen open mated with
reduced the SMR trait.

My point is (as I posted earlier) that I only see chewed off varroa in the
numbers you speak of in a hive with a 15 to say 30  24 hour natural varroa
mite fall. I see almost none of said behavior in a hive which was treated
with chemicals which provide a 90-98% control.

I open mated my SMR breeder queen daughters with a carniolan survivor hive
drones which had a zero mite fall in 24 hours at mating time.   I will ask
my partner to check his SMR breeder queen daughter queens which were open
mated with drones from a Marla Spivak hygienic queen to see if he is seeing
chewed off varroa on his sticky boards.
Sincerely,
Bob Harrison
Odessa, Missouri
Ps. I have been testing bees for varroa for a long time Dennis. I am amazed
you are getting so many varroa on your sticky boards with using 4.9mm
foundation plus SMR queens. Run a 24 hour natural mite drop and report back.

You are not using a chemical and getting all these mites and noticing some
with chewed parts are you?