> The principal of uncontaminated comb has proven itself with the growing number of new equipment hives for sale by Bell Apiaries in Florida each year.

This is what Dave De Jong's study was pointing at as well. There was a difference in varroa infestation based on cell size, but it was far less than the very large difference based on comb age. Varroa multiplied much more readily in old comb than new, and he suggested that old comb could be use as a varroa trap.

The strong preference that we found for old
comb cells could provide new ways to control
this important bee parasite. If the four-times
greater preference by the mites extends to
combs that are impregnated with old comb
extracts, these mites could be preferentially
attracted to treated combs, and subsequently
destroyed. The mites’ preference for old comb
may also provide clues about how these mites
are stimulated to invade brood cells and begin
their reproductive cycle.

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