Hello James,
So nice of you to say those nice things about my writings, I appreciate them

Since colony death or severe illness caused by Varroa infection usually
occurs in mid summer rather than in the spring, this is the time that worker
bee brood is
tapering off and the Varroa mite population is increasing dramatically.  The
IPM
approach is to lower that mite population before it has a chance to get well
under way, and this means removing mites BEFORE they are turned loose in the
colony.
Several researchers have deemed that a colony functions at its peak when it
has
a late spring drone population as high as 20% of the bee population.  This
sounds very high to me, but the researchers and scientists seem in agreement
on the 20% figure.  This suggests using 4 frames of drone foundation out of
20 brood frames to
meet this 20% figure.  I am suggesting using only 1 or 2 frames out of 20
brood
box frames, because I don't want to "waste my queen's energy and time"
producing
drones rather than needed workers.

Further, the female mite enters the bee larva cell on the 8th day since the
egg was laid (one day prior to capping of the larval cell, and then the
female mite lays one
male mite egg on the 12th day, a female mite egg on the 13th day, and maybe a
2nd and even a 3rd female mite egg of subsequent days.  The male mite mates
and dies,
but the female mite eggs feed on the bee pupa and emerge with the drone bee.
The
drone gestation period is a full 24 days, so it is suggested that you install
a drone
cell frame for 23 days, remove and freeze it, install a replacement frame of
drone
cells, and repeat.

None of this procedure is "caste in stone" in directions.  However, one MUST
BE COGNIZANT of the overriding principle behind IPM, and that is do not make
an attempt to kill (or remove) all of the Varroa or even 70-80% because that
will over stress the bees; but only do that which is necessary to reduce the
Varroa population to a point that the bees can function in a healthy
environment and live with some minor percentage of Varroa in their midst at
all times.  I guess it is sort of like washing your hands with Ivory soap
before you eat; which is NOT LIKE a surgeon scrubbing his hands before he
operates.

I am an OLD retired scientist, and I guess that "retired" entitles me to try
10%
drone foundation in my brood chamber instead of 20% and I will find out
whether that is enough or too little.

I hope I have helped.

BTW, isn't it about time for the heather nectar flow?  I had hoped to make a
7th
trip back to Scotland to bring back memories of my ancestry, but my age of 80
plus the devilish 5 strokes that I have suffered over the past 11 years will
keep me in the states.  I wanted to visit Glenlivet distillery  on the River
Spey again and visit
the Isle of Skye and maybe pick up a tartan.

George Imirie