There is often, on this list, a lot of good information about mite control
followed by a test such as in the original paragraph below.  I suggest that
the information is useful but am wary about these 'quick' tests.  Please
keep sharing them but let us be cautious about interpreting them.
 
I do not know what level of Varoa would be cause for concern and would
appreciate some suggestions here but is the 1 per 300 bees significant?  I
would expect that mid October hives might have 40,000 plus bees each.  At a
rate of 1 per 300 bees that is 133 mites per hive and 1,330 in the apiary.
And this does not consider the mites still in the cells. Is this
significant?  Further, I do not see 300 bees necessarily as a representative
population.
 
Something like the ether roll may have a use as a quick test in the field
but I suggest that it is only useful in detecting a great mite population
and may not be useful as lower levels.
>
>I used this method all summer with very good results, I did have bees
>hatching out that were deformed most of the summer. In the fall every colony
>looked exeptionally heathy no more bees looking deformed. My colonies were
>inspected by the a Minnesota bee inpector in october an ether roll resulted
>in 1 mite from 300 bees tested, samples taken from 10 colonies.  This method
>does take a little longer to get results but it is much easier to apply.
>
Eric Abell
Gibbons, Alberta Canada T0A 1N0
Ph/fax (403) 998 3143
[log in to unmask]