30,000 bees is not a large colony.  When I count, I typically count
2000-2500 bees per frame.  At 2000/frame, a 30,000-bee hive would cover only 15 frames.  My colonies get much larger than that.



Poor wording on my part,  but maybe a mistype on your part?  Your original note said 30k mites?  Unless I misread?   I don't recall seeing an info of mites achieving that big of number?  Either way  if we look at 40k bees decent colony,  then at 25% were talking 10k mites,  (still a lot!)  but unless I miss something, a 40k beehives is not collapsing,  maybe we need to understand what point that emigration really starts?  I would have said it was not a factor in any hives with over 10k bees,  which would mean 2500 or so mites.  Maybe the point that bomb goes off is pretty important?




> >at a 25% level the hive is done, spotty brood and DWV has wreaked 
> >havoc
> for weeks already
Not what I see at all.  When I run hives returning from almonds without splitting them, many hit 25 mites/100 bees by July if I don't treat them.
I typically start seeing spotty brood at around 15-20% infestation of adult bees.  And those colonies are big--often with 20 frames of bees.

I think we are saying the same thing?  For me once that spotty brood has started,  its dang hard to stop and the colony is in deep trouble.  I have not had much luck stopping DWV wants it starts,  but that may have a lot to do with short season.  To me a 20 framer is not yet got the fuse lit,  for sure its packed,  but in fairly stable mode for another 6-8 weeks as it declines?



>

The 1/2 was a WAG.  As the infestation rate climbs, the mites start to prefer to ride on older bees rather than younger bees.  The big question is to what degree those bees drift, rather than simply fly off to die.
Robbing is another story, as the remaining mites emerge with the last of the brood, and hop onto the robbers.


Agreed,  I would have said it was high,  but  I could defiantly be proven wrong!   But ponder this a moment,  what your saying is at some point mites are suddenly deciding to bail for 50% of them to make that decision would in my mind mean that there was a trigger.  If that’s true,  then maybe there is a big key.  If we could handle that trigger,  would it be enough to allow those other colonies to manage their stable levels?  Is it possible these "smarter" mites are a bigger problem?  Maybe the super mite we are breeding is not from chemical resistance,  but from the ability to transfer hive to hive better??


Just thoughts....

Charles


Charles

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