Swarms obviously do spread Varroa, but on the other side of the coin,
since a swarm has no brood to harbor mites, you can get the most bang
for your buck (or pound, or whatever) when you put Apistan on a new
swarm. All the mites in a swarm are on adult bees, and therefore, more
exposed and suceptible to fluvalinate.
I have very little problem with swarms absconding, so I put the strips
in the hive right away with a new swarm. Some people wait a day or two
to let the bees settle in first.
Good luck to you guys who haven't seen a mite yet. Don't underestimate
their destructive powers like I did when they first arrive. If you do,
they'll kick your butt.
Michael Reddell
[log in to unmask]http://www.hotcity.com/~mwr