In message <[log in to unmask]>,
[log in to unmask] writes
>Chris,
>You must have different Varroa mites in UK than they are in the U.S.
>
>Female Varroa mites lay eggs with bee larvae, and the bee larva serves as the
>food supply for the mites.  When the bee emerges from its cell, adult mites
>are "hooked on" to this new bee and feeding from the lymph of the bee.  Adult
>Varroa mites spend all of their time living ON THE ADULT BEE
except when it is their time to jump into a cell and rear new mites.
> and traveling
>where it goes INCLUDING swarms.
Yes. Early swarms will have less mites, later ones more. But timing it
right might help the bees keep mites lower in number.

Has anyone any scientific data on how the numbers go?

--
James Kilty