>
>> > Now someone needs to investigate this further and also to check the
>> >> brood of a nuc in spring/summer with known phoretic levels and a new queen
>> >> that has just begun laying after a broodless period
>>     
I routinely run hives with moderate to high varroa loads, as an effort 
to identify any hives that might be resistant.  My preferred method of 
increasing hive count is making queen cell splits, so I have repeatedly 
observed the way Varroa interact with the first brood cycle after a 
break in the brood cycle while the new queen mates. 

A common situation is that mites are visible on bees' thoraxes in the 
hive when it is given the queen cell.  When I check for eggs after two 
weeks, the final frames of brood are emerging and many mites are visible 
on backs of bees, and the hive appears distressed.   A week or two 
later, the new cycle of brood is capped and the brood pattern is solid. 
The bees appear healthy and invigorated, with no phoretic mites 
visible.  A week later, and this new brood cycle is emerging.  The 
emerging brood now appears spotty, and mites and DWV are visible, along 
with demoralized adult bees.

Jeremy Rose
San Luis Obispo, CA

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