?>Roughly half the mites in natural mite fall are of mites freshly emerged
>from brood, many of which die prior to feeding on bees.  Natural mite drop
>largely reflects the number of bees emerging on a particular day.  Natural
>drop is less when phoretic mites are actively entering large cohorts of
>propupae.

That is very interesting.  Is this in the mite literature somewhere?  I'd 
check
my books, but they are 2,000 miles away right now.

>>Washes show numbers, but maybe drops show the age distribution and
general health of the mite population if we learn to read them.

> Could be, but for beekeepers with limited time and multiple yards, may be
impractical.

That is what I leaned this year.  I outgrew my ability to do things the way 
I
had been doing them.

Nonetheless, for those who have the time and the set-up and the interest,
it seems to me to be the way to go.  I am still very impressed by what
Jean-Pierre Chapleau accomplished with his floors, and he ran hundreds of 
hives.
(see http://www.apinovar.com/apinovar.en.html )

I intend to change my floors to screens with a place for a drop board this 
year
so I can monitor by observing drops whenever I like.  Drops tell me what I 
need
to know if I don't try to push to the very edge of safety before acting. 

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