> I have no numbers, but splitting does not seem to reliably keep mites below threshold in my experience.

Right. I used to refer to this theory in presentations, but there is some evidence that it fails to work reliably. In other words, often when you divide hives with mites, you just get more hives with mites. However, if it were combined with a real knockdown of mites at the time of dividing, the mites might take a longer time to build up in smaller colonies. 

I would like to see somebody do a comparison of mite buildups in colonies of different initial strength. According to work done by Harbo, medium sized colonies are more efficient at brood raising, while large colonies tend to be more efficient at storing large honey crops. 

We have noted in the past, however, if three medium sized colonies could make as much honey as one really big one -- but with less management -- then having a lot of average sized colonies instead of a smaller number of boomers could make sense. Still, I don't have or know of any reliable trials.

PLB

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