I will be busy this morning feeding yards of bees we pulled honey supers
off of yesterday but will try and contact you by phone and share knowledge
on evaluating varroa loads later today.

Zach  said;
We are trying to sample some Varroa mites from around Michigan. We need to
have a quick way to know which colonies have more mites than others since
most beekeepers do not use sticky traps.

short version:
Smoke is a poor method as the amount of smoke could be different with each
application. One reason most prefer the natural drop . A perfect method of
getting the varroa sample does not exist!

Many methods are in use for evaluating mite loads. The problem is in
figuring out what the results mean. Every researcher you talk to puts
threshold at a different figure. Every researcher you talk to puts the level
you treat at (mites per sticky board or eyther roll) or leave alone at a
different number.
The number changes if you are trying to winter bees in the north or the
south.
Getting the drop and knowing what the amount of dead mites mean is a
complicated subject.
Varroa loads can be high due to other reasons than reproduction in the hive.
I have been doing testing for over a decade in many areas of the U.S. (but
not in your area) and will try to help.
Look forward to talking to you.
Your friend,
Bob Harrison

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