>Of even more interest is that mites suffered the highest mortality after
feeding on bees that had consumed OA in syrup (I wouldn't be surprised if
we find that they also consume some when grooming themselves).  The
mortality of mites was substantially higher for those placed on bees that
had directly consumed dribble syrup than for those on bees that had been
trickled or vaporized.

Ratnieks seemed to reach a different conclusion:
 
'The results came to a clear and encouraging conclusion. Application of OA via sublimation, where OA is applied in its pure form by vapourising the crystals with a special heated tool, was superior to application as a solution via either spraying or dribbling. Sublimation gave a greater kill of varroa at a lower OA level and showed no increase in bee mortality. In fact, 4 months after treatment, the hives treated via the sublimation had more brood than the 10 untreated colonies.'

Best wishes

Peter 
52°14'44.44"N, 1°50'35"W

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html