> How many hives are in a yard? I have seen conflicting advice on how many hives to sample. I believe Curry suggess 10%

We have had many arguments here at Bee-L about statistics and sampling rates. Working as a state inspector, I became comfortable doing a 10% sample, although we generally would do all the hives if there were ten or less in an apiary. If you are looking for an average, 10% is fine, especially if you avoid skewing. 

However, sometimes skewing is useful. If I want to know if there are high levels of mites in a yard, I generally look at the strongest ones. Often weaker hives have lower levels, because the mites build up faster in good hives, and often hives that are already crashing have lower levels due to the bees drifting off crashing hives. 

When looking for AFB, however, the first ones we checked were the weak ones, because we wanted to find any advanced cases ASAP. Obviously, if even one case of AFB was found in a yard, we would then carefully check all the hives. The problem with checking mite levels in NYS is that the window of opportunity for treatment is fairly narrow. I am very eager to get flash formic approved here, so we can treat in August before the fall crash. (Of course, many are already doing it, not waiting for the govt. OK)

PLB

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