>>"Varroa destructor is the main culprit for the death and reduced populations of overwintered honey bee
> reduced populations in what time period over two months or two weeks?
The population decline can be either short or long. It depends on how the varroa feeding happened in the fall. Since there is not much brood being raised in the northern winter, population is mainly a function of how long the winter bees live. The speed of the decline also does not matter. There is nothing to be done about it in mid winter and there is no easy and safe way to monitor it -- if you open the hives weekly all winter, harm will be done.
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