> A number of studies have led to the following rules of thumb:
 
Glad to see that this thread is getting some good replies.
 
What I'm looking at is some easy, quick, non-destructive way to do the job
without screens etc.
 
My feeling on using a sheet of paper was that, although some of the
dropping mites might get back up, and some might be cleaned out by the
bees (depending on temperatures, hive population, etc.), that some
predictable percentage would remain for some period of time, and a
benchmark could be established for the method.
 
Now, maybe plain paper would be entirely cleaned of mites by the bees in
some cases, but it seems to me that unless the cluster is in contact with
the paper, that most of the debris would remain in the short run.
 
If not, then maybe there is some other simple, cheap item that would work
by holding the debris.  Adding salad oil to the paper would ensure some
traction, and mite-killing properties, using something corrugated would
trap things in the grooves (Consider the kind of cardboard that is smooth
on one side an rippled on the other).
 
I'm looking for ideas here that do not require opening a hive or adding a
miticide -- other than possible smoking with tobacco or grapefruit leaves.
 BTW, does anyone know how to obtain grapefruit leaves of the correct
type?
 
I'd like to be able to hire unskilled helpers to independently sample my
bees for me without invading the hive in any way other than by inserting a
paper and possibly smoke at the entrance.  Anything more than that is a
concern, since it requires beekeeping expertise.
 
I don't need 100% accuracy, just ballpark figures.  Sorta like the way the
farmers check for Lygus Bug by sweeping around a set number of times in
the crop with a net and counting the bugs caught.
 
Allen
 
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