> >What in your opinion is the best single treatment for Varroa?
> In the USA, the *only* legal chemical treatment that I am aware of is
> fluvalinate (Apistan). I have heard of bio-mechanical methods (removing
> capped drone brood so as to remove the enclosed mites), but am unsure
> how effective this is.
>
> >What is the fate of the mites once bees are decimated in an area?
>
> I would assume that if the bees were truly decimated, then the mites
> would die off also. Actually, it seems to me that the bee population would
> have to be *eliminated*, otherwise reinfestation from the small, but
> remaining bee population would be a problem. In the USA, I would think
> it nearly impossible to eliminate the bee population in an area due to
> the widespread presence of managed colonies - beekeepers tend to
> replace bees that die off. Sure, the wild population might be
> eliminated by the mite, but the managed colonies can still be a
> "mite reservoir", providing a haven for the mites, and a source of
> re-infestation. Finally, I don't know what "alternative hosts" are
> around that could support the Varroa mite in the absence of honey bees.
 
The Varroa are slow to die, even when the entire bee colony is dead. Just
today, I examined a hive, which has been dead for 3-4 weeks, and found
a few live mites still hanging onto the dead bees. The mites were between
abdominal segments, tucked into the fold.
--
Conrad Sigona                                      Open Systems Solutions, Inc.
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