> So tell me, are varroa any less nourishing than pollen granules? Can
> I consider that their brief contact with the mitiucide is going to
> effect me anywhere near as badly as it effected them?
 
Depends... Do you think you might have mites? <G>
 
> Must I wait
> until the strips are removed before I can harvest pollen? And if
> so...can I just dump the tray at the hive entrance and expect them
> to salvage the pollen.
 
They will likely ignore it or tote it away.
 
You can put the (contaminated)  pollen in bags in a freezer and use
it to feed next spring -- to good effect.
 
>
> One last thing...
> Everytime I open my hives I find myself unable to avoid squishing
> bees as I return supers, broodchambers, excluders and tops to their
> original positions. I smoke and brush with my hand and SLOWLY
> lower...all to no avail. They seem to compete with one another for
> the privelege of being caught between the opposing walls. Yuccch. Am
> I doing something wrong?
 
I've concluded that we are going to crush bees, and by trying to save
one, we crush another.
 
Of course there are tricks to avoid severe damage to masses of bees.
For example avoiding walking on bees that have been shaken or blown
off frames is a good start.
 
Putting boxes on crooked, then straightening them helps.  Tapping
bees off lids and smoking a bit before reassembly can help.
 
We do empathise with our bees and do try to spare them, but consider
the havoc you wreak whenever you drive to town (Look at your
windshield).
 
>              A L A N   K E Y E S   F O R   P R E S I D E N T   ' 9 6
 
Okay...  But president of what??  BEE-L?
 
Regards
 
Allen
 
W. Allen Dick, Beekeeper                                         VE6CFK
RR#1, Swalwell, Alberta  Canada T0M 1Y0
Internet:[log in to unmask] & [log in to unmask]
Honey. Bees, & Art <http://www.internode.net/~allend/>