Barry Birkey wrote:

> Making a statement like, "Treating varroa mites with Fluvalinate strips
> showed actual varroa population increase of 64 percent." deserves a big DUH,
> but only after we find out the fact(?) that the bees used in the testing
> were resistant to the fluvalinate.  Is this a case of pulling selected
> information from a study to bolster a products salability?
>

One always must treat statements like this with a grain of salt. I could
duplicate this in my yard today in this manner.
Start with a hive that is relatively clean of mites. Add brood from colonies
known to have varroa or have not been treated yet this cycle. Measure in 30
days.
Simply because we have not completed the treatment cycle and started with a
clean colony means that the introduction of brood frames will automatically
cause an increase in numbers. We can't count mitesin cappedcellsso they don't
count in the ad.
    It's just like the old Right Guard commercial. Put right guard under your
left arm and your favorite under your right arm. 4 out of 5 (the same population
% of right handed people) will find their left arm drier.(don't crucify me I
don't remember the number)

Thom Bradley
Chesapeake, VA