Quote:
>>I run 38 yards of "Italian" stock, 

Hi Randy,

About how many hives per yard?
So many yards,,, Is this a strategy
to spread them out to help with
the mite pressure?

Quote:
>> Each year, the mite level at selection time each spring,
after about four brood cycles, gets lower. 

Yes, I noticed with colonies brought
into my area, -it takes several years
for the mite levels to drop to what 
is normal for my area. 

I expect that you count mites several times
per season for the potential breeders.
I am curious if you place more weight
on the early spring count?,,, or is the 
assessment balanced over the season?  

It seems, and please correct me if I think 
wrong.  But I would think that the early 
spring count would be the most revealing,
-more reflective of the level of resistance
at the colony level rather than later in the 
season counts which are highly influenced 
by colony size, drifting, drone rearing etc.

Quote:
>> This is a waste of treatment, but allows me to compare apples to apples
next spring.

Speaking of apple to apples, for the first
time in 10 years I am considering purchasing
some commercial queens.  The reason is, I
assess by comparison, and I need to see
how the colonies I have compare to what 
is out there in the market.  

I feel that my colonies should produce larger
brood patterns and stronger population than
they are currently.  So comparison should 
reveal what is good and what is lacking.
I'm considering Glenn queens.

Best Wishes
Joe Waggle
SW Pennsylvania

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