I don't remember seeing this before, but it reinforces the idea that mite populations spike in late summer or fall due to factors other than in-hive reproduction





The transfer of mites to foragers is a shift in the mite behavior from attaching to nurse

bees for reproduction to foragers for possible dispersal. 



The frequency of this behavioral shift seems to increase in the fall, and might

occur for several reasons. Varroa populations are at their highest levels in the fall and

brood production is decreasing. There are fewer brood cells to infest so more mites are on

worker bees perhaps including foragers



Left untreated, these

colonies collapse over the winter. Viruses vectored by varroa that affect forager orientation

causing them to drift could provide a mechanism for both the virus and the mite to disperse

in the fall from colonies that are likely to die over the winter.



Population growth of Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae) in honey bee colonies is affected by the number of foragers with mites

Gloria DeGrandi-Hoffman, et al. Exp Appl Acarol (2016) 69:21–34



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