> At this point about all I can do to tell if the above products worked
> is to put in a 98% control strip in for 24 hours with a sticky board
> and count the dead varroa.

I'm wondering, why is that? ...and also, how can you *know* that you get 98%
kill by using any chemical, without either doing follow-up alcohol washes
before and after, or without doing natural drops after?

Alcohol wash is the most definitive test, but can be time-consuming, and
should be accompanied by counts of varroa in brood if total accuracy is
sought.  The latter step is usually unnceessary if only a good 'feeling' for
the efficacy of the preceeding treatment is desired.

Although there is an unknown in natural drops, due, among other things, to
variability in average varroa longevity depending on season and
circumstances  -- possibly less predictable after the varroa has been
stressed by a treatment -- the natural drop is IMO, the simplest, quickest
and most non-destructive test.  It gives a quick reading on the order of
magnitude of the remaining infestation, and has been very useful to us.
After using alcohol, sugar shakes, and 24 hr Apistan drops over the past dew
years, we have settled on the natural drop over a few days as being the
simplest, most foolproof, and generally the best all-round bellwether test
for us.

It seems to me that reliance on any chemical for near 100% kill in today's
world, particularly in a migratory environment could lead to a nasty
surprise, so I'm wondering what you are thinking.

allen
http://www.honeybeeworld.com/diary/
Still chewing on the border...

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