I guess you have (correctly) changed the subject line.
>Significantly more mites chose old comb extracts over new comb extracts.
>When more than one mite invade a single brood cell, the per capita fecundity decreases, as the number of mother mites per cell increases. Mites invading brood cells in older combs also have fewer offspring. This led scientists to speculate that mites themselves might have a chemical to inhibit each other’s reproduction (a pheromone).
These two statements are not mutually exclusive. Old comb may be attracting mites more, but then reducing their fecundity. It gets better!
Best wishes
Peter
52°14'44.44"N, 1°50'35"W
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