>it would seem logical to me that some times mites are on bees and sometimes not. lots of grafting with a magnifying glass and light informs me that the mites do move around quite a bit off the bees and over the face of a comb and quite frequently. 


There's lots of research about mite population dynamics (most of which are represented in Randy's spreadsheet on the subject) and if mites were to roam over cells selecting which ones to invade, in addition to being carried to cells by bees, it occurs to me that much of the mite reproduction rates we have come depend on would no longer be valid.  Boot and many others did research on this subject. 


>In selecting brood cells, the mites do not walk across the comb, but have to be carried close to a cell before invasion occurs (Boot
>et aL, in press). This limits the rate of invasion (Boot et al., 1994), 


Boot, Willem J., Johan NM Calis, and Joop Beetsma. "Does time spent on adult bees affect reproductive success of Varroa mites?." Entomologia experimentalis et applicata 75.1 (1995): 1-7.


Bill Hesbach
Cheshire CT

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