My question was - if u spray bees on combs,  u only spray their backs.
> Some Varroa also stick to bees' undersides - yes?  Do those varroa also
get
> sufficiently wet?
From: "Mike"  There is splash effect.  How effective it is getting to varroa
on bellies is
 up for debate."

I do not understand splash effect.  If bees are sprayed on  brood combs (and
it is the nurses that carry most of the phoretic bees, yes?) then the spray
will mostly disappear into open cells - splash from the cell walls will be
minimal.  And SOE entering open cells will dilute the brood food - as larvae
have blind guts and no way to pee, they could end up with a full gut
containing less food than normal - so there seems risk we could have a
generation of weak bees.  SOE applied in late autumn might splash better
from the sealed honey which then fills the brood area - but waiting to treat
then would not avoid the winter bees being infected by viruses due to high
varroa levels in September.  SOE still looks great - non-poisonous - no
residues - cheap - but finding a reliable method (for a single annual
application - having to do 3 applications looks like hard work, and lot's of
chance of not finishing all 3 go's properly) looks more difficult.

If I could get some SOE here in UK I would like to try adapting Allen's
method for powdered sugar (shake bees off into a cardboard box, add powder,
shake box, let bees fly back). Adaption for SOE might be:  shake bees off
each frame into tray containing 2 inches depth of SOE solution with wire
tray lying on bottom, after 2 seconds lift tray and tip soaked bees on a
sloping board at hive entrance, and shake next frame.    This could only be
done in warm dry weather, so the bees dry off quickly and do not chill.
Obvious defect is that if done at midday, it will miss many foragers - if
done in evening, bees may not recover before nightfall. Alternative could be
to dump soaked bees into a super with a wire screen underneath with some
open holes - place on top of hive, so heat rising from brood saves soaked
bees from chilling before they recover and go back down thru the holes.
Would the queen be damaged by any of this?

Any thoughts anyone?  I am keen to make progress on this one.  No other
alternative to strips appeals to me - great to keep beekeeping really safe
and simple for beekeepers from age 12 to 96 - and for the 'elderly confused'
(like me) in the middle.

Robin Dartington
'24-hive UK hobbyist who experiments and promotes new methods to
recreational beekeepers'

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