Folks:

I am sure that everyone has seen magnified
photos of bee trachea, infested with
Tracheal Mites.

What magnification is required to see a bee
trachea well enough to spot-check a dead
bee for mite infestation?  I have noticed several
under $50 microscopes in Christmas displays
with magnifications ranging from 80x to 1000x.

Also, can one do this sort of spot-check with
the occasional dead bees found in front of
the hives and on the landing board?  Do the
tracheal mites abandon a dead bee's body?

While I realize that I may be viewed as being
silly on this last point, I would prefer to avoid
killing any bees if I can avoid it, and I assume
that a recently deceased bee has a good chance
of being an elderly bee, one that has had
maximum time to be exposed to mites, and
hence, infested.

       james fischer