>> >Then why do we see live mites on the bottom board?

>The question would be, are those live mites "healthy"?  At least one study found that fallen mites tended to die soon, even if kept in a environmentally favorable incubator.

OK.  That is pretty general observation.  We are talking about specific circumstances, so if we are being careful to compare aples with apples, the questions would be 1.) did that apply to ALL fallen mites and 2.) then what proportion did not die and 3.) is that proportion greater when small clusters were observed than when large clusters were observed, and 4.) what other conditions might have impacted that observation (background chemical levels, ambient temperature, time of year, amount of brood, etc...)

>> >Small clusters tend to have less drone brood and for shorter duration as well.

>Small clusters, especially if the weather is cool, must struggle to thermoregulate the broodnest, which goes back to your question a few weeks ago about the optimal size for a nuc.

Yes.  We are trying to understand the impacts of geometry on colony parameters through varying ambient conditions.  

It is a tough, but rewarding visualization project.

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html

Guidelines for posting to BEE-L can be found at:
http://honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm