>
> > one or two mites means the population of mites is holding it's own while
> number of mites in each cell that approach 3 or larger means you have a
> quickly expanding population.


I do not understand the logic behind the above claim.  The rate of mite
population increase (the r value) is greatest when the ratio of drone and
worker brood to the adult bee population is at its peak.  By the time that
the mite population has increased to the point that within-cell competition
among mites is occurring, the resulting r value decreases, due to poorer
per-mite reproductive success.  It is of course slightly more complicated,
but the foregoing generally apply.

-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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