>And then there is the huge mite transfer during the robbing out
of collapsing hives.

Robbing of varroa infested hives is a concern of mine not only from casual beekeepers that mismanage varrao, but from the inevitable swarms that occur regularly even from the best-managed apiaries.  Once a swarm is established on its own, am I correct in assuming that eventually, maybe even in the same season, a swarm colony becomes overwhelmed with varroa and through immigration, robbing or absconding it can also become the source of late season invasion? I don't like to think that my own swarms are creating a reservoir for local mites but I can't avoid the logic.  On a national level, it seems to me, that the amount of apiary swarms occurring yearly plays some significant role in the migratory varroa population that eventually find their way back into our colonies.  Any thoughts?

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