Linda said: > Last year I tried the 'sugar roll' with a negative result on hives that were > showing visible signs of infestation.(Varroa in drone brood easily found, > and mites seen in hives or on bees) I just tried again on a feral colony > with the same visible signs, this time carefully collecting my bees from the > brood area, as recommended by Jeff Pettis (sp?) at the BBKA spring > convention this year. No varroa mites falling through the coarse sieve onto > the fine. Lots of bees looking very funny. No mites at all? Something must be amiss. Take a look at: http://entomology.unl.edu/beekpg/tidings/btid2000/btdjan00.htm#Article2 Marion Ellis led the group that worked out the "sugar roll", so the web page is "the word" on how to do it. Did they get mites when they demonstrated the technique at BBKA? If so, perhaps someone who is near you can make a "house call" to take a look at your technique.... In the absence of details, the only plausible straw I can grasp at is a guess that you are using damp, lumpy powdered sugar with big ugly fat chunks, and a very low percentage of dust-like particles in the 1 - 5 micron range. It is the tiny little particles that clog up the mite's suction cups and make them fall. No tiny little particles, no mite drop, no matter how much sugar you use, or how long you "roll" or "shake". So my best guess is to suggest that you go down to the market, get a fresh bag of powdered sugar, open it, sift in two or three times, and try again before the sugar has a chance to get moist from humidity. Other than that, I am stumped. > They won't get accepted by the wrong hive either...a side issue I > pursued... If I understand you correctly, you expect the sugar roll to turn the tested bees into "neutral" bees with no pheromones from their own hive. I wouldn't. They would still have their proper hive's scent. They bear no gifts of pollen or nectar. I think you should put them back in their own hive after rolling them. They don't need a fight after the little amusement park ride in the sugar, now do they? Isn't a "bad hair day" enough when one's entire body is covered in tiny hairs, and one has no shower? :) jim Farmageddon (...where we are up late tonight, upgrading 200 routers around the planet so at least some of you can read things like Bee-L even faster....)