Ian

I have the same questions, for the ones I do not have the answer.

However past winter was very hard over here and I lost some 40% of my hives.
The ones that survive stayed broodless for a couple of month (maybe a bit
less) and in spring they have very few mites (less than 1%). I treat in
autum and spring with amitraz.

Usually winter is not that hard over here, and not all hive become
broodless, and usually I start spring with a bigger mite load (>5%).

So I  am inclined to conclude that mites in a broodless hive subject to a
hard winter get life tuffer and there survival rate is diminished. At the
same time I have to consider that I have Nceranae in my hives, and lots of
adult bees disapeared during winter, so a second conclution for the low mite
count could be that they stay on the adult honeybees, and as they died out
of the hive during winter, they take part of the mites out.


-- 
Juanse Barros J.
APIZUR S.A.
Carrera 695
Gorbea - CHILE
+56-45-271693
08-3613310
http://apiaraucania.blogspot.com/
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