Greetings
I was the technician at the lab while the study was carried out, so I can
answer any questions you might have about it. I thought the methodology was
sound and the technique is fully worth the trouble.

We used unwired beeswax foundation designed for drone combs which I wired
into standard frames. The idea was to re-use them, not cut them out. We got
combs built early in the year and soon built up a good supply. We used two
in each brood box, same as Tom, I think.

The main problem we had was in late summer, the bees slacked off raising
drones, right at the time when you would want to trap as many mites as
possible. Of course, if the varroa population had been curtailed early on,
it might not matter. 

But I think for this technique to be effective it needs to be carried on
throughout the summer season. What we talked about doing, and should have
done, but did not do, was to feed in late summer. 

We even bought barrels of syrup, but held off feeding because of the
expected honey flow. If we had fed, maybe the bees wouldn't have quit
raising drones, and the mites could have been trapped out late in the
summer, when they start to get critical (at least here, in NY state). 

Point is, you have to be diligent about this technique for it to work. I
think the all plastic drone frames are good, too, and easy to use. As far as
feeding back the drones to the bees, they eat the drones and derive food
value from them. This is true.


pb

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