Tim Arheit wrote:

> - Use powdered sugar bee rolls to test for varroa.  It won't harm the bees
> and will
> give you significant enough results to determine if treating in necessary.
>
> - Mite drop tests, with or without an apistan or checkmite strip.  Again
> this won't
> harm the bees and will give you significant results.  This can be done without
> a strip even in cold weather.

Some trials were run in Maine using powdered sugar in August and
October. The August tests seemed to give good results but the tests in
October were negative with the sugar roll but when checkmite was used
there were drops of up to 1,500 in one hive, >800 in two, >300 in two
and > 100 in seven. There were mites in every hive but the rolls did not
pick them up. So sugar rolls late in the season may not be accurate.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Me