Karen;

I do beekeeping development work in developing countries and I have done
some hygienic behavior demonstration work using tissues and pin pricks.  We
would put tissues or paper towels between the supers in the afternoon and
come back in the morning to see which hives had shredded the paper and
dumped it out in front of the hives.  It is clear to see.  We would then do
pin pricks on 7X7 cells, marked with thumb tacks on the top bar and colored
pins on the brood to check further.

I once asked a well know researcher at a national meeting about this
technique and was told it was 'crap', but in the places I work this type of
technology is the most appropriate.  I am sure it is not as good as
freezing as the pin pricks alert the bees to problems in the affected cells
but it is a start.  I wonder if freezing affects the cappings in any way
that would alert the bees to problems in the cells?  Has anyone taken a
close look at flash-frozen cappings?

I am working the Republic of Georgia right now and the beekeepers are using
all manner of mite control products and drugs imported from Russia and
China and where-ever.  Their problem is lack of access to registered
products and most have no internet access and there is no govt support of
beekeeping (in the form of extension).  In Georgia a beekeeper can support
his family with 100 hives of bees and he is interested in keeping his bees
alive at all costs.  They have wonderful bees but they also have the same
problems keeping them alive that we have.

Bill Lord
Louisburg, NC

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