At 10:29 PM 10/30/97 -0500, \\Dr. Pedro P. Rodriguez wrote:
>I have never seen a queen with mites.
 
Varroa mites are common on queens as the population of the hive shrinks to
the last 100 bees and the queen. I have seen photographs and heard 1st hand
reports from Europe of as many as 16 varroa mites on one little old queen.
 
>I have seen queens parasitized by the bee louse.  However, the bee louse is a
>beggar parasite and does not cause physical damage.
 
You are ahead of me on that one as I have only seen one bee louse in 40+
years looking at bees here on the left coast and I am told that is about
the average as they are not common here. I suspect they are around but have
better hosts then honeybees but it has been awhile since I read up on them
and remember none of their biology.
 
ttul, OLd Andy the Beekeeper's Louse... (in annual retraining)