>
> >The key lies in the broodless period.  Mel claims that all the mature
> mites then jump in the first new larve 3 weeks later and since there is
> several mites per larve they perish and are removed,    I don't know if
> this is true,
>

That claim is certainly graphic and alluring.  It is not difficult to
test--simply open the first sealed cells of worker brood after a brood
break. I have, and haven't observed it happening.  I've asked Mel about it,
and it appears to be based upon something that he heard.from someone else.
Has anyone on the List confirmed it in the field?

Mites generally do not "seek" out a cell to enter--they are dependent upon
the chance that the bee that they're riding on happens to feed a larva
about to be capped over.  And even if up to three foundresses enter a cell,
there can still be a good number of mated daughters emerging.


> >Bottom line I am trying to say is adding a mated queen or even a queen
> cell to a split with capped brood  doesn't change the percentage of mite
> load. You need that 15 day queen development period in the mix.


Let's do the math.  For 12 days after making a split, mites will be
emerging from the brood, and for 8 days still entering larval cells
reaching invasion age.  Once phoretic, the mortality rate of the mites is
generally quite low--typically 0.5% per day.  At that very low rate of
attrition, even after the 12 days for the colony to rear an emergency
queen, and the typical 12 days before she starts laying eggs, plus the 8
days until the first larvae are old enough for mites to enter (a total of
32 days), 85% of the original phoretic mites would still be alive, not to
mention the higher survivorship of those that emerged later.  Thus, there
would be minimal loss of total mite numbers due to attrition.

However, there would be some loss due to the exit of bees dying of old age,
and carrying mites.

The bottom line is that making walkaway splits will not greatly reduce the
mite load of the colony over that of its starting point.  However, it will
arrest increase from reproduction for roughly 24 days, during which the
mite population would have increased by an estimated 1.5x due to
reproduction.

The combination of major splitting of the mite load, coupled with the break
in reproduction, is apparently what makes Mel's method work.

--
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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