It's a very unpopular topic because it offsets the allegations that it's usually neglectful hobby beekeepers that are the mite bomb makers. If we could look past the blame issue,  I think this area would benefit from some research especially if the research could focus on the implications of commercial swarms and how they are linked to varroa as a migratory parasite.  

Lets just apply The latest paper cited here, If we cite the Varro pop model,  and Dr Seeleys work ( which I am in no way disparaging)

Then,  these lost swarms will be housed in natural sized cavities and free to swarm  thereby living for 5 years before becoming mite bombs.

As such they can't really be the problem can they?


But that aside,  one question would arise is locations.  Many of the commercial guys swarms are going to be located in concentrated areas. (not all of course)  but holding yards seem to be a hot bed of swarms,  as well as a lot of them lost in almonds which I suspect dang few of actually survive.


Commercial operations  are not always interspersed in hobby locations.  Such as ND, WY and SD,  these areas are very heavy with commercial guys in summer,  roughly 1/3 are in those 3 states, but not a lot of hobbiest so it seems to me that a a lot of the concern of finger pointing at mite bombs is not too big an issue.   
States like OH and NY that may be a bit different.




Just thoughts.


Charles

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