From: Peter L Borst <[log in to unmask]>

Ernesto wrote:
> ...fall varroa mite infestations were the leading cause of colony mortality (associated to > 85% of colony deaths)...

hmmm, I can certainly believe that there is a correlation between mite infestation levels and mortality, but does it necessarily follow that the mite infestation is the _cause_ of the mortality?

Seems to me that there are many possibilities here....is it possible that there is some unobserved cause that both allows the varroa level to rise _and_ causes mortality?

I'd suggest that deliberately introducing mites to healthy mite free colonies would at least begin to answer this question.

Am I off base for questioning this conclusion?

deknow

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