The original question about darkly painted hives as a means to control TRACHEAL mites was posted on Fri, 16 Dec 1994 17:07:21 by Kerv Hyland <[log in to unmask]>. I quoted a source for a study about the topic, but confused the issue by= mixing tracheal mites with varroa mites (not the first time I made this mistake). Thankfully, Matt Ter Molen <[log in to unmask]> caught my error and set the record straight AND identified the issue of ABJ containing the study (November 1994), which I have in front of me at this moment. The article, titled "Effects of Hive Color and Heat on Tracheal Mites" by John Harbo, concluded that although dark hives (hence high hive temperatures) ARE effective in controlling (keeping in check) the TRACHEAL MITE population, the high hive temperatures also resulted in a significant reduction in bee and honey production. Quoting from the article: "Should Beekeepers Use Dark Hives to Control Tracheal Mites? No. Heat may provide an effective way to control tracheal mites, but a treatment lasting all summer strongly reduces the production of bees and honey during the hot weather in Louisiana. In cooler climates, dark hives may not reduce colony productivity, but they also may not affect tracheal mites." So, as is usually the case, there is good news and there is bad news, and more research is warranted. My apologies to Kerv and this list for disseminating false information, and my thanks to Matt for keeping me honest. Aaron Morris - I think (although not flawlessly), therefore I bee!