Catching up on some older posts...

> He pointed out that temperate bees have a much steeper annual curve
between the high and low populations, coupled with a varroa population
explosion in late summer while tropical bees have a more gradual population
curve, minus the big surge.

Not so!  Yes, steeper bee pop curve.  But varroa population doesn't
explode.  What explodes is the infestation RATE.  This is a critical
concept to understand for mite management.

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

Allen, it's all about the "r's" (intrinsic rates of reproduction).  In
times of rapid population growth, the bee r exceeds the mite r, and
relative mite infestation rate drops.  It is only when the bee r drops to
below that of the mite that mites become a problem.

If one were to be able to keep growing colonies throughout the year, then
repeated splitting would control mites.  Unfortunately, in Canada that is
not possible.

-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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