We are moving into a conversation which Jim & I might get into but is
complicated for many hobby beekeepers to understand and the reason in my
opinion Delaplane and Hood gave the figures the way they did. Jim is of
course correct in his  thoughts on the subject but makes the whole testing
scenario seem intimidating. Many times I spend a couple hours going over and
over testing before my fellow  beekeeper understands.

Jim said:
Dunno why Delaplane and Hood did not qualify their data this way,
since they were certain to have a mix of "strong", "average", and
"weak" hives in their dataset.

I believe simplicity to be the reason as both  Delaplane & Hood are well
aware of what you are saying.

Bob posted:
> ...in *fall* in Georgia with a certain amount of leeway ( tests taken
> after most brood rearing had stopped).

Jim said:
Wait until AFTER brood rearing stops to test for mites?

I was under the impression that the figures in the ABJ article were for the
above fall in Georgia situation BUT any time of the year you see mite drop
in the levels D& H. talk about treatment needs assessed.

It is very hard to get (in my opinion) an accurate varroa count in a strong
hive when large scale brood rearing is going on *because* of the amount of
varroa in sealed cells. In our area the first week of September gives an
accurate varroa count *unless* the fall flow is heavy causing large scale
brood rearing.

The best varroa testing is rather primative but all we have got to use. Most
varroa researchers use different tests at different times of the year to
determine  varroa load. I do myself.

Jim said:
Isn't that just a bit late in the game?

It might be if we are forced to use a temperature dependent chemical BUT NOT
when using a 98% control chemical strip.

Those beekeepers which have been involved with varroa from the start realize
another scenario which can kick the beekeepers butt. Varroa infestation
coming from your bees robbing varroa infested neighbors hives. Many
beekeepers had to treat for varroa three times in a year to save hives when
varroa first hit. Drones & workers were hitting landing boards with 5 and up
mature fertile varroa on their backs. Varroa infestation from robbing can
hit threshold in a short period of time.

Hope the in-depth discussion above does not discourage hobby beekeepers from
testing. Sounds overwhelming but really not when you take the time to
understand testing procedures and analysis.
Sincerely,
Bob Harrison
Odessa, Missouri

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