> First, Randy has noted that "natural mite drop" is the actual "best method":

Having done thousands of ether rolls and hundreds of sticky boards, I would point to the major flaw of the sticky board: it cannot distinguish between a healthy hive with low mites and a nearly dead one with low mites. In other words, colony population has to be factored in.

Medhat introduced me to the most practical method, using two quart jars, with a common lid and a screen between. Using this, you can get a handle on mite levels in a minute or two. Sticky boards are not reliable nor practical.

This is confirmed by Spivak, et al:

> Three techniques (reviewed by Webster 2001) have been used: sampling for mites on adult bees, sampling for mites on pupae in brood combs, and sampling of colony floors with sticky boards for mites that have fallen from bees and combs.

> Branco et al. (2006) developed a sticky board method, based on an empirical regression estimator, converting number of mites caught per day on sticky boards into numbers of mites concurrently on adult bees and pupae. Neither the plan of Martin (1999) nor Branco et al. (2006) is practical for sampling entire apiaries. Estimation of numbers of adult bees or pupae in a few colonies may be feasible for researchers or hobby beekeepers, but those tasks are impractical on a commercial scale. The sticky board method requires special equipment and two trips to place and retrieve the sticky board, and it is time-consuming to estimate bee populations. 

> Based on data from 31 commercial apiaries, we developed sampling plans for use by beekeepers and researchers to estimate the density of mites in individual colonies or whole apiaries. Beekeepers can estimate a colony’s mite density with chosen level of precision by dislodging mites from 􏰀300 adult bees taken from one brood box frame in the colony, and they can extrapolate to mite density on a colony’s adults and pupae combined by doubling the number of mites on adults. For sampling whole apiaries, beekeepers can repeat the process in each of n=8 colonies, regardless of apiary size.  Researchers can estimate apiary-level mite density by taking one 300-bee sample unit per colony, but should do so from a variable number of colonies, depending on apiary size. These practical sampling plans will allow beekeepers and researchers to quantify mite infestation levels and enhance understanding and management of V. destructor. 

Lee, K. V., Moon, R. D., Burkness, E. C., Hutchison, W. D., & Spivak, M. (2010). Practical sampling plans for Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae) in Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies and apiaries. Journal of economic entomology, 103(4), 1039-1050.

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