Ken Hoare wrote:

> (I) have seen them rushing from one side of a frame to another, and always
> been amazed at the speed they can travel.

I often wondered about this when I hear the assertion of how far varroa
mites will travel.  I remember an article that Allen posted from a
newsletter he receives, where the author described varroa mites crawling all
over his arms.
As I recall, the author was experimenting to determine how long mites would
survive without a host.

I SPECULATE a factor is the location of the mite in question.  Mites on a
frame are already in the vicinity of an ideal environment (in a beehive
surrounded by potential hosts) whereas mites in other locations can be
considered away from potential hosts.  Mites and ticks are not hunters per
se, they are opportunists.  They do not seek out their prey, they lie in
wait for a host to happen by, in which case they pounce.  This is the
concept behind mesh boards; having the mites fall far enough from a
comfortable environment that they lie in wait rather than crawl to reattach.
3/4 inch seems not too far for a mite to travel to grab a host, but that is
an anthropomorphic view ("seems").  From a mite's point of view the question
becomes what is the distance from a comfortable environment that triggers
the lie in wait mode, or, how close to the idea environment must a mite be
to trigger a walking response?

I do not know this answer, nor do I know what current research says.

Aaron Morris - thinking there's lots I don't know!