[log in to unmask] wrote:
>
> Alyn W. Ashworth wrote:
>
> An additional technique is to trap the Q on a frame of drone comb, caged
> in with excluder-type walls, so that she only lays drone. When the comb
> is full (sealed?), transfer the Q to another similar frame trap, destroy
> the first and repeat. I think that the idea is to make sure that the
> only available cells for the varroa are those within the special frames,
> so that a large proportion are destroyed.
>
> We don't (yet, quite) have the dreaded mite here in Liverpool, but
> perhaps someone with practical experience could enlarge on this
> treatment and it's pros & cons - looks attractive, but may be a lot of
> work for anyone with more than a couple of hives.
>
>
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> Methods of 'comb trapping' varroa mites  have been used quite widely in
Europe, and properly carried out can remove up to 90% of mites from a
colony. It is not necessary to use drone comb in the comb-cage, and if you
do you tend to find the queen does not lay properly. Worker comb is much
better; the important thing is that the only young brood available to mites
wishing to reproducein in the!
  trap combs during the month or so the method is in use. snip
> James Morton
> CSL Regional Bee Inspector (S.E England)
 
Dear Mr. Morton et al:
It is amazing to see to what extents humanity will go when attempting to
control the maladies that affect us, especially when these are
influenced by nature. And as usual, when tampering with nature, humanity
ends up at the losing end!
In my experience, attempting to control mites in a fashion as explained
above is not a control method, but in fact a propagation method since it
gives the mites every opportunity to gain control of that colony where
they are given a "free pass" to breed.
It is very important to realize that the two most important life-giving
mechanisms of the colony are taken away: the egg-laying queen and the
feeding mechanism of newly born worker bees! Any beekeeper with a minor
knowledge of beekeeping has to know that he/she wants those two factors
to be optimum in the colonies. Besides when there are no newborn to
maintain the natural ongoing processes of the hive, everything comes to
a largely diminished rate! Add to that the fact that mites escape the
cells where they are bred before the host bee emerges. Result: a mite
breeding program. In all sincerity, I hope that any concientious
beekeeper engaged in the practice mentioned above, will discontinue it.
To quote an old proverb: "two wrongs do not make a right." Varroa mites
are bad critters. To give them the opportunity to propagate is bad!
Two bad factors that will contribute to major setbacks for those who
practice this activity and to beekeeping in general. PLEASE DON'T.
Many Regards.
Dr. Pedro Rodriguez
Virginia Beach, Virginia (USA)
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 I am unclear where you feel the mites are reproducing during the period of
comb trapping since there is no  brood produced in the colony other than
that within the three combs on which the queen has been caged. Since none
of this is allowed to emerge (it is removed and destroyed after it is
sealed) there is no way mites within can emerge. Therefore all mites
entering brood cells to reproduce during comb trapping are removed from the
colony, causing the mite population to decrease.
 
Neither the egg laying queen nor the feeding mechanism of young bees are
taken away as you suggest. The queen remains laying throughout and bees
continue to care for her brood. At the end of comb trapping, there are
still plenty of bees less than a fortnight old, perfectly capable of
feeding brood.
 
Although a month in which no eggs are laid that will contribute to the
colony may seem detrimental, if the comb trapping is timed sensibly, these
would have been workers born to late to forage in the main flow, and too
early to be able to go into winter as young bees . Their absense is not
terribly significant as colonies are naturally decreasing in size after the
end of the main flow anyway. In practice queens quickly resume egg laying
after comb trapping, but some beekeepers use the opportunity to replace her
with a young one.
 
Although this method does have its drawbacks, it is important to be
realistic about where these lie.
 
James Morton