>    Any mites that drop off this colony, would have to move to the
building,
> up about 6 feet, then back out along the bottom of the air conditioner. I
> would think few of them would ever be able to get back to the colony.


From a presentation I saw last week on mites, they will not move more than
about 3/4 of an inch when questing for a new host. They are also prone to
drying out during this time. So if you have good air flow and can keep the
mite off the bee long enough then you will do some good.

Another large issue was to not wait for those 99.9% solutions. Keeping the
mites under multiple controls will be our best bet in the long run. An open
bottom board that is constantly killing 3% of the mite population will do a
great deal to keep a colony alive and healthy.