>
> > is the only way to effectively use powdered sugar to significantly reduce
> varroa
> infestations."


My own trials indicate that top dusting with sugar doesn't *reduce* varroa
populations to any great extent over the course of a few months.  I have not
tried longer periods of regular dusting.

What I did find is that dusting will retard or stop the *growth* of the mite
population, depending upon how often one dusts.

The difference between *reducing* a population, and retarding the *growth*
of a population is often misunderstood by those discussing sugar dusting.
Treatments such as fluvalinate or thymol will greatly *reduce* a mite
population, even if it is quite high.

Other methods that merely slow the *growth* of the population may be
adequate, provided that they are begun prior to the mite population getting
very high.

Randy Oliver

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