The Wagnitz study cited indicated that the brood break did *not* reduce
mite levels over that of the control group--look carefully at Figure 1.

However, in my operation, splitting using queen cells appears to reduce
mite levels somewhat.  Adding an OA treatment when requeening really helps,
and is well supported by hard data.

As far as the hypothesis that mites will seek out the first brood cells
after a brood break, it is based upon the erroneous assumption that mites
"seek" cells.  In reality, it appears that mites preferentially ride on
nurse bees, and that they sniff each cell that their nurse sticks her head
into, and hop off if the propupa gives off the right odor.  Thus, their
chance of entering that first cell is a matter of chance, rather than them
flocking to that cell.

I do not have extensive data, but when I've checked the first capped brood
cells in nucs made with queen cells (thus causing a brood break), I did not
see mites loading into those cells.  My take is that it is a beautiful
hypothesis, but not supported by evidence.

-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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