>Several times most of the cap was later removed leaving a neat oval window; I always saw mites in those cells, and in at least one case the workers reached in around the cocoon and caught the mite. Thank you for these excellent observations Carolyn! Since I began applying strong selective pressure for mite resistance, I see more and more bald brood. I need to spend more time with observation hives! -- Randy Oliver Grass Valley, CA www.ScientificBeekeeping.com *********************************************** 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