>> Does a powdered sugar shake produce the same quality of results?
>
> A single shake does not.  There is research out of New Zealand which shows 
> that if you do a double shake then the results get up close to the 
> alcohol.
>
> Anyway having seen first hand Medhat's $20 <G>) shaker when he was here in 
> Oz, it makes the alcohol wash quite easy to do.
>

My experience with a powdered sugar shake suggests it is hopeless. Rather 
than dislodging mites from the bee samples most of the powdered sugar stuck 
to the bees and would not shake off.
.
I also have doubts about Medhat's shaker for alcohol wash after I tried 
rewashing the same samples a number of times and coming up with a different 
result each time. At least some of the mites are trapped in among the bee 
bodies when straining the liquid through the screen. I also find it rather 
difficult counting mites looking up into the liquid, and rather slow trying 
to shake and count samples in the beeyard. I prefer taking a number of 
samples to be alcohol washed carefully later at home, the liquid pored into 
a white bottomed container where mites are easily seen and counted.

Tom Cosman
Nova Scotia 

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