Hello Peter and All,
Most researchers I have dealt with would read  the Bee-L list but not
respond. Thanks to Peter for expressing his views.

We still have got a few mysteries to solve concerning varroa. Peter admits
so by putting forth several possible avenues to solve the varroa problem.

The one varroa mystery which has stumped the best researchers including
Denis Anderson has been the  cerana mystery. The cerana mystery has stumped
Bob Harrison.

The cerana mystery gives  small cell its life as far as varroa control in my
opinion.

THE APIS CERANA MYSTERY:

Varroa does not reproduce in the worker brood of cerana. It does in the
cerana drone brood.

 As Dee has pointed in earlier posts correctly  cerana  IS almost the same
size as Apis mellifera in certain areas of the world but cell size remains
smaller than A.mellifera.

Until the "varroa and cerana  mystery* mystery is solved small cell  will be
worth looking at. Small cell size of cerana may not have anything to do with
* the cerana mystery* BUT small cell is the one thing about  cerana  which
keeps  jumping out at you when the mystery is looked at.

The one point which many overlook when thinking about cell size IS the fact
a smaller cell size creates  a earlier emerging time. The shorter the time
in the cell the harder it is for varroa to reproduce. The longer the cell
time as with drone brood the better for varroa. We do not however have
conclusive proof the length of cell time IS the reason varroa prefers drone
brood but the theory is widely accepted by many researchers. The actual size
of the bee may have little to do with Dees bees being able to survive varroa
mites. We simply do not know  many things about bees and varroa.

IMPORTANT FACT:

**The  cerana mystery continues to baffle  varroa researchers. Seems we
should find varroa  reproducing at least to a small degree in cerana worker
brood. **

 Cerana also removes varroa infested drone brood and grooms varroa off each
other  which in my opinion is simply a strong hygienic behavior. Helps but
NOT the reason cerana  and varroa coexist so well.

The varroa not reproducing in worker brood is the   overwelming reason.
Varoa mite load increases in the drone rearing period and decreases in the
non drone rearing period. natural varroa control from Mother Nature.

Think about the situation if varroa could NOT reproduce in the worker brood
of A. mellifera. Varroa could be held at low levels  year around naturally
without  any treatment at  all.

Sincerely,
Bob Harrison


Ps. The facts I have stated above about cerana can all be verified by
reading "The Varroa Handbook" from 1989.
Very busy time for me or I would have given quotes and pages from the book.
We are seeing a intense honey flow in Missouri.