Dear Leonard and Bee-L'ers" I have seen brood (perhaps only as much as a 4-5 inch wide circle) both in the USA and in Central Spain, (it gets pretty cold here), in the center of the cluster. That is not enough to give any one reason to worry (except that it provides a continuous source for future genera- tions). The reason to worry comes from the fact that since the bees are pretty much stationary and that they do not groom themselves, the mites stick to them in wait for the "real" brood season to start so that they can start to "descend" on the new brood cells. Hence, the need to provide treatment as soon as necessary depending your geographical/weather conditions. We put on our last fresh emulsion soaked cords just before the winter sets in, so that there will be a fresh source of oil as soon as the bees become active and start to remove the cords. Best regards. Dr. Rodriguez -- __________________________________________________________________ Your favorite stores, helpful shopping tools and great gift ideas. Experience the convenience of buying online with Shop@Netscape! http://shopnow.netscape.com/ Get your own FREE, personal Netscape Mail account today at http://webmail.netscape.com/