> >What in your opinion is the best single treatment for Varroa? > In the USA, the *only* legal chemical treatment that I am aware of is > fluvalinate (Apistan). I have heard of bio-mechanical methods (removing > capped drone brood so as to remove the enclosed mites), but am unsure > how effective this is. > > >What is the fate of the mites once bees are decimated in an area? > > I would assume that if the bees were truly decimated, then the mites > would die off also. Actually, it seems to me that the bee population would > have to be *eliminated*, otherwise reinfestation from the small, but > remaining bee population would be a problem. In the USA, I would think > it nearly impossible to eliminate the bee population in an area due to > the widespread presence of managed colonies - beekeepers tend to > replace bees that die off. Sure, the wild population might be > eliminated by the mite, but the managed colonies can still be a > "mite reservoir", providing a haven for the mites, and a source of > re-infestation. Finally, I don't know what "alternative hosts" are > around that could support the Varroa mite in the absence of honey bees. The Varroa are slow to die, even when the entire bee colony is dead. Just today, I examined a hive, which has been dead for 3-4 weeks, and found a few live mites still hanging onto the dead bees. The mites were between abdominal segments, tucked into the fold. -- Conrad Sigona Open Systems Solutions, Inc. [log in to unmask] 1-609-987-9073