There was a recent thread discussing the supressive effects of broodless periods on varroa populations, particularly in Russian strains. I have made some observations that seem to correlate perfectly with these statements.

 I had two hives (one New World Carnie, one Russian hybrid) from which I pulled the queens in an attempt to stop a strong swarm urge, hoping for new mated quens in both hives.  No dice on the mated queens, so I put the original queens back in about 3 weeks ago.

Before I pulled the queens, I was seeing moderate mite falls in both hives (side by side).  Now I'm not seeing any mite falls at all, and very few on drone brood.  It would appear that the broodless period had a substantial impact on total varroa population.  I've also noticed that the queens seem to be laying at an accelerated pace, seemingly making up for lost time.

I wonder if a usable, chemical free varroa management plan could be built around this concept, without sacrificing too much production?

Any thoughts?

Just thinking aloud (which admittedly gets me into trouble sometimes...)

Todd.

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