Mihaly Ligmond writes: > I am a new user and have a couple of (probably stupid) questions for anyone > who cares to answer. First is the Varroa a tracheal mite or not? Also has No. It is a mite, but it's an external parasite of honeybees and lives by consuming their haemolymph (blood). A Varroa is about 1.5mm x 1mm. Tracheal mites are very tiny and live inside the breathing tubes (trachea) of the bees. > anyone ever heard of lead contamination in propolis? Yes. It seems to be something of a problem, at least where propolis is classed as a foodstuff. The levels of contamination I have heard are around the 10-20ppm mark and, against expectations, _don't_ appear to be due to the level of local road traffic (not yet anyway). If I was consuming propolis in food quantities that concentration would worry me. In the quantities one typically consumes propolis, I *personaly* think the problem is seriously overstated. Regards, -- Gordon Scott [log in to unmask] 100332,3310 on CompuServe Newsletter [log in to unmask] ditto Beekeeper, Kendo Sandan, sometime sailor. Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG22 5HP, UK