Bob Harrison writes about:
The book is taken from the first International Conference
on the Asian Honey Bees and Bee Mites in Bangkok, Thailand
in Feb. of 1992 if searching the net for the research
paper.


Reply:
As I have the book, this time instead of reading I will
reply from comments written in the margin long ago.

Now going to page 528 (the part I keyed into) it says:
Because of the larger diameter of the worker brood cells,
the cell invasion behavior of the varroa population is
changing in such a way that the number of invading mites
during a comparable period is seriously reduced (possible
by some 20%). Colonies with enlarged worker brood cells
(640 cells dm2)have fewer mites in the broodnest and
proportionally more mites on the adult bees than colonies
with normal worker brood cells. The same phenomenon seems
to be the case with ANP combs (De Cleroq and Ramon 1991,
Ramon et al. 1991).

Then following in the Concousions it is said: The results
of the experiments show that the number of invading mites
is seriously recuced in the larger cell type.

Now my thoughts for Bob and others:

What this says to me is the tergits are now wider with
other body parts allowing for more phoretic mites to chew
and live on the bodies of the bees so the proportionate
increase on the bodies of the adult bees, of say 20%
offsets the loss in the cells, or merely a relocation swap
is going on......but leaves more case for secondary
infections in the larger cells of which nothing is
mentioned.

Sure it says the number of invading mites is reduced, for
they are now on the bodies of the adult bees chewing away.

But then treatments and dusting were to take care of that!

Also this is an artificial change in varroa behaviour by
enlargement of cell size, for on naturally sized comb, the
varroa go to the smaller cells, like a living liver, to be
gotten rid of from the heart of the hive at brood nest turn
over time, and by continuous chewing out as needed.

sincerely,

Dee A. Lusby
Small Cell Commercial Beekeeper
Moyza, Arizona (yes we have moved to new hqs)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/organicbeekeepers/

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