Every Spring for the past few years, as commercial beekeepers with thousands
of hives, we placed one strip of Apistan into each surviving hive around the
middle of March or in early April.

Each Fall, as brood rearing came to an end, we placed drop boards under
about ten percent of our hives and picked the boards up a few days later.
We counted the mites dropping from natural mortality, and that way, we could
see if our treatment was working, or even necessary for that matter.

Although I am down to 68 hives (soon to be zero), the results for 2003 are
now in.  I have posted them at
http://www.honeybeeworld.com/diary/articles/drops.htm, along with some
pictures of the boards, and a test for those who care for such things...

allen
http://www.honeybeeworld.com/diary/

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