Bee-liners,
 
There are two points that have occurred to me during this discussion.
I think there is a definite inherited susceptibility to chalk brood and a
bad case appearing is usually cleared up by requeening from cb. free stock I
find.  Strictly culling suspect Queens is a vital part of
good management in my view.
 
Using drone comb to trap and reduce mites can work but obviously has to be
very efficienly managed or else too many drones and thousands of mites are
released into the hive!  But I don't like the idea because I think it will
be putting environmental pressure onto the mites for the selection of those
mites that 'prefer' worker brood.  However I don't understand the biological
interactions well enough to work out if that would be even more harmful to
beekeeping.  Can anyone offer a suggestion?
 
Allen's notes below motivated me to make this 'combined' posting.
 
Glyn Davies, Ashburton, Devon UK
 
 
>Using *selected* bee stock will reduce mummies on the bottom board.
>I don't know fore sure if it means the bees just haul the larvae our
>before they get to that state, or if there is real resistance.  I
>suspect the latter, since the chalkbrood free stock usually appears
>to have pretty solid brood patterns.
>
 
>
>Regards
>
>Allen
>
>W. Allen Dick, Beekeeper                                         VE6CFK
>RR#1, Swalwell, Alberta  Canada T0M 1Y0
>Internet:[log in to unmask] & [log in to unmask]
>Honey. Bees, & Art <http://www.internode.net/~allend/>
>