Greetings All,

There has been a great deal of discussion about bee and cell size, and possible influences on Varroa.

I've just measured the width of seven female Varroa - all I have on hand. I used a binocular microscope with a graduated scale in one eyepiece. The biggest mite is 1.72 mm across,  three are 1.69 mm, one is 1.68 mm and the two smallest are 1.65 mm. The difference between the biggest and smallest is thus 0.07 mm, and this difference in width is obvious under the microscope.

So with this much variation in just seven Varroa that are almost certainly all descended from just one incursion into New Zealand, how much size variation is there in long-established populations? Also, because Varroa mate in every generation, (about 3 weeks) could not natural selection operate much more quickly for changes in cell size than  honey bees in which the sexes mate about once a year?

Regards,
Barry Donovan.
New Zealand.
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