Thanks to everyone,
  I will try out the 72 hour count idea. However the debris seems to be
a big issue with me. The emerging bees drop bits of wax when chewing the
cell open. This does not make it impossible to count the mites just
possibly adds to a potential migraine.
  Why couldn't I establish a 72 hour count using the sum of three 24
hour counts? This would keep my boards from becoming overloaded. Also I
have seen the mite drops cluster under the emerging brood. Over a 3 day
period the emerging brood pattern moves throughout the hive. What
happens if this is an area that is blanked out?
  To answer that question for my situation I imposed the checkerboard
card over my grid. The numbers wouldn't matter. But the consistency of
the numbers may have an effect.
 Hive 2 on checkerboard would have only counted 36% then 49% then 35% of
the mites on three different 24 hour periods in a two week span.
 Hive 1 on checkerboard would have only counted 34% then 39% of the
mites on two consecutive 24 hour periods.
  This indicates using a checkerboard it probably is a requirement to
get a 72 hour sample. However using a continuous grid I would question
the necessity of a 72 hour count.

Thomas Martin
Shippensburg, Pa

Jonathon the golden rod is coming in good. An empty super put on a hive
August 29 had four frames partially filled on September 4.

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