Later work by de Jong shows some surprising results

We had expected that there would be fewer V. destructor in the smaller brood cells in the old combs than in the relatively larger brood cells in the new combs, as previous experiments had indicated a positive correlation between cell size and infestation rate.  

Indeed, the tendency towards higher infestation in wider cells was maintained for each type of comb (P < 0.05, Pearson’s correlation coefficient). Drone brood, which is reared in large brood cells, is also considerably more infested by V. destructor than is worker brood (Fuchs, 1990). Cell size at least partly explains this attraction, as drone brood reared in drone cells is significantly more infested than brood reared in worker-size cells in the same colony (Issa et al., 1993).  

However the cells in the old combs were much more infested than those in the new (naturally built) combs, even though the former were significantly smaller. The old comb cells were four to over five times as infested as the new brood comb cells, when the same 1/10 mm cell width intervals were compared. It is clear that these mites strongly preferred old worker brood comb cells to new worker brood cells.

Old honey bee brood combs are more infested by the mite Varroa destructor than are new brood combs
Giancarlo A. PICCIRILLO, David De JONG
Apidologie 35 (2004) 359–364

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