Interesting hypothesis, and may explain why a behavior that appears to 
be associated with the quest for mites may be sufficiently effective in 
mite control to provide effective selection pressure. Even if the mite 
isn't within reach, which may often be the case, the desiccation would 
be effective and confer selective advantage to that part of the population.

I haven't time to express this fully and coherently, but the right 
situation is needed to provide the genetic material, diversity and 
selection pressure to build and maintain such traits in the population. 
  My situation may be unusually favorable, with an average of 30-50 
colonies (including a few known ferals) with minimal to no chemical 
treatment since 1997. I am isolated from commercial beekeeping and 
row-crop agriculture, and the few beekeepers in the surrounding 20 miles 
do minimal chemicals, and use the same pools of stock.  I have brought a 
few new queens into the population every year, a few were feral or local 
survivors but most were purchased and including most of the suppliers 
who select for varroa and/or disease resistance.  They have received 
open feeding and pollen substitute, and some in-hive pollen supplement 
with sugar and vegetable oil.  I started with buckfast and Rossman 
commercial Italians plus some ferals so the base diversity was high. I 
wish I had the time, health, and money to apply my biology background to 
more scientific study, but the benign neglect (some hives have not been 
fully worked for 5 years) may have helped the natural part of the selection.

The experiment continues....

Carolyn in Plum Branch SC


On 10/24/2010 5:14 PM, randy oliver wrote:
>>
>>> In this case the hole in the capping remained, the developing bee looked a
>> little dark around the edges as it formed and I could no longer see the
>> mite, tho it may have been hiding still. There was no sign of male or larval
>> mites.
>
>
> Thank you for these excellent observations, Carolyn!  My hypothesis is that
> the "bald brood" is the bee's way of dropping the humidity in the cells so
> that the male mites and callow (soft-skinned) female mites simply dessicate.

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