I have used pine chippings exclusively this year after having a row of leylandii cut down and chipped at the end of last year; I saved a couple of boxes of chippings and put them in the garage all winter to dry out. They have been a very good smoker fuel - I think the size of the chips allows a good airflow. As to varroa, I do not monitor much except for recording bees with DVW and I have seen very few of those this year - two or three in a colony would be unusual. Best wishes Peter 52°14'44.44"N, 1°50'35"W *********************************************** 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