Kristina writes:
> Perhaps varroa, sensing their host colony's impending doom, can change the behavior of the workers so that they're more likely to drift.

Carrying it further, it's possible that bees in a varroa infested hive actively look for other hives. This could be the mechanism by which a "mite bomb" distributes varroa, instead of or in addition to being robbed out by healthy hives. 

Following this theory, the infested bees would be more likely to locate large apiaries as opposed to individual hives in the woods, for example. This could explain why isolated colonies are less prone to mite infestation. 

Just thoughts!

Pete
Ithaca, NY

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