Dr. Pedro Rodriguez wrote:
>
> What has happened to
> common sense? We all know that foraging bees stray into other colonies.
> We all know that drones are allowed "free" entrance to strange colonies!
> If we have a "breeding" situation as proposed with this setup, how can
> we keep mites from parasitizing foraging bees and drones which are not
> "trapped?" It is impossible to prevent spread of those mites under any
> circunstance.
 
The logic of comb-trapping is that the *capped* drone brood is removed
and destroyed, along with any mites which may be with them inside their
capped cells.  Such drones are never allowed to mature and carry mites
anywhere.  It is only after the brood and mites are killed are they put
back into the colony, whose bees then throw out the dead drone pupae and
dead mites.  Thus there is nothing to spread.  This is the common sense
to this approach.
 
Ted Fischer
Dexter, Michigan USA