Hi all:
While Peter wrote this:
Bees in spring /summer have average life spans 3.5 to 4.5
weeks. Those considered as winter bees (emerging in August
through till October) have average life spans of 29 to 24
weeks (August bees having the longest span).

I would like to post a question for all, especially since
beekeepers seem to freak out with large mite falls at
broodnest turnover time in the fall.......

If the bees life spans 3.5 to 4.5 weeks in the active
spring/summer months and varroa mites live the same approx
span............

Where do the short-live mites go? Wouldn't you want to see
large numbers of them dying off, aka mite fall as they
would be weaker at end of life for easy grooming off
wouldn't they? Also wouldn't you want to see then, the bees
chewing them out good, so they don't brood back up with the
new brood for fall/winter?

If you don't see this? Where are all the short-lived mites
going if somewhere else?

Also, Bob Harrison wrote on leaving the field bees and
moving colonies in getting ready for brooding up for
fall/winter. I have been thinking about this. Is this good
for long-haul varroa control? Especially if the nurse bees
left, which are normally more varroa attractant then field
bees, have then, the bulk of the varroa with them at this
critical time of year. Then with the nurse bees having to
speed up to be field bees, doesn't this then put more
pressure on the remaining nurse bees or newer,to then
assume higher mites upon them, to have to handle more
varroa pressure, along with initial brood being raised to
have more varroa transfer in? Or am I thinking wrong
somehow?

Respectfully submitted,

Dee A. Lusby
Small Cell Commercial Beekeeper
Moyza, Arizona
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/organicbeekeepers/


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