Three questions and an idea:

1. In meditating on two recent threads and some literature, the matter of
screen bottom boards and the matter of formic acid varroa treatment, I have
been hit by a question.  It seems to be generally agreed that formic acid
vapors are heavier than air, for which reason the gel packs (or other
delivery systems where applicable) are placed in the top of the hive.  If
such treatment were done with an open screened bottom board, would not the
desirable vapors merely drain out through the bottom?  I like the idea of
both methods, but would hate to do two good things only to find that the
second had rendered the first ineffective.  Perhaps Bob Stevens has some
information on whether this combination has been tried, and if so, what
happened.

2. Does anyone know of a selective harmless anaesthetic that would even
temporarily knock out mites but not disturb the bees.  We know that CO2
anesthesizes bees, and it is relatively harmless except for its ability to
smother.

3. If varroa attempt to get up from below a screen to reattach themselves to
the bees, since they have no wings, do they jump, or do they merely crawl
across the horizontal surface upon which they fell until they find something
to climb?

If mites do the latter, I believe it practical to develop an apparatus that
would kill the mites as they crawled, and simultaneously count their deaths.



Bill Morong