Robin said: 2 Dusting could encourage bees to use whatever degree of grooming habit they have Why would it? Why would the need for 'housekeeping' encourage bees to groom one another? In human terms (I know! I know!) that is like saying that my wife is likely to massage my shoulders just because I have messed up the house - I think not! And how often do you plan to dust them to provide this encouragement? Daily? And is 'encourage' the right term anyway? > Monitoring the fall should let us pick out the colonies > that have advanced most towards effective grooming Or the colonies that had the most mites that got dust on their feet and fell off? Peter Edwards [log in to unmask] www.stratford-upon-avon.freeserve.co.uk/ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and other info --- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::