In message <[log in to unmask]>, Richard
Goetze <[log in to unmask]> writes
>But, I have never seen any attached mites on
>Queens I've inspected.
In early spring, when bumblebees are looking for a nesting place, it is
common to see them resting, covered in mites. People tell me how worried
they are that the bee will not survive with so many mites. I tell them
no, they are just carrying them to their new nest and they will soon get
off. I suspect that the losses of bumblebees in the hard time they have
finding nests is attributed incorrectly to the mites. I am also often
asked if they are varroa and tell them no.
--
James Kilty

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