Hi Allen and Everyone,

I tried the jar test for fluvalinate developed by Jeff Pettis a few years back but had difficulty getting consistent samples ( the method used paired samples from each of several hives ).  The more consistent field test when fluvalinate resistance did show up was any method of checking varroa population after treatment.  In our experience within a week of putting in the strips you should have low levels of varroa on the bees.  You may find a few mites on an ether roll or alcohol wash due to mites emerging from the brood but in the situation you described you would expect pretty high numbers if the treatment is not working.  If you do the check a little more than two weeks after the strips are put in all the brood that was infested before the strips were inserted should have emerged and you would expect to find only very few or more likely no varroa on your test at that point.  Full treatment failure is very easy to see but partial treatment is more difficult to detect since you may have many mites on the sticky board at first but still not get enough for a fully effective treatment.  The result of course is very high mite levels fairly soon after treatment and often colony losses.

Treat and check back to make sure the treatment worked.

FWIW

blane


******************************************
Blane White
MN Dept of Agriculture
[log in to unmask]