>
> >And, it seems that varroa infestation increases the drifting rate
> of specific infested foragers.  Forfert , et al (2015) Parasites and
> Pathogens of the Honeybee (Apis
> mellifera) and Their Influence on Inter-Colonial Transmission
> https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0140337
>
> The cited study did not support that claim.
"Only colony infestation with *Varroa* was associated with significantly
enhanced drifting. More specifically, colonies with high *Varroa* infestation
had a significantly enhanced acceptance of drifters, although they did not
send out more drifting workers."

This was the same conclusion of my study with marked bees in collapsing
colonies.  I had hypothesized that DWV infection would increase bee drift,
but neither my own nor Forfert's finding support that hypothesis.  In my
study, there was lots of bee and mite drift, but it wasn't associated with
the collapse of colonies.

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

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