Charles
Thanks for taking on my question.
What I read yesterday was this.
http://articles.extension.org/pages/65450/varroa-mite-reproductive-biology

And spicifically this quote from the link.

>When more than one mite invade a single brood cell, the per capita fecundity decreases, as the number of mother mites per cell increases. Mites invading brood cells in older combs also have fewer offspring. This led scientists to speculate that mites themselves might have a chemical to inhibit each other’s reproduction (a pheromone). A chemical, (Z)-8-heptadecene, was identified. In the laboratory, it caused a 30% reduction in mite fecundity. When tested in the colony, the average number of offspring was 3.48 in cells treated with (Z)-8-heptadecene, but 3.96 in control cells. This difference was small, but statistically, highly significant (P < 0.01). The effective fecundity (number of potentially mated daughters) was 0.94 in treated cells, and 1.31 in control cells; and this level of difference should have a rather large impact on population growth.<

I could not find the one other place that I did see say the same as mel.  I can never find back all the things I have read when they come up.

Just as a point of interest, This came up where we were discussing the above and so I throw it in, not because it pertains but more cause it might be found interesting and I have it at hand now before I lose where it is forever.
http://www.pnas.org/content/113/12/3203.

Bill T
Yes, I have read many things like that but where it starts ok and goes bad.  I know this in the beginning and it is why I don't claim what my future will be except to say that I will adjust to that future as it happens.  There are some doing faily well that I believe are honest and that have not lost the 30 percent every year.  Right now on the bee imformed partnership hive loss numbers for MO they have the treatment free loss rate at about 30 percent from memory as I did not just go and look right now I think the total Mo loss rate is around 22 percent.

I am just doing it for now knowing the risk to see for myself.
Thanks for the responce and thanks charles for taking on my question.
gww
C

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