I don't know anyone in the UK who has significant problems with trachael mites. That's not to say that they don't occur here, just that they don't cause the difficulties experienced in N. America. I believe it's the same throughout Europe too. However, they are supposed to have been the cause of the Isle of Wight disease which devastated British beekeeping at the beginning of the 20th century. Ah, you say. British bees must have evolved resistance to the mites. I believe some bees were imported to the US as breeding stock, hoping this was true but it wasn't. They were found to be just as susceptible as any other bees. It's a mystery. I suppose it could be our mites that have evolved. It's often not in the best interests of parasites to have too deadly an effect on their hosts. -- Malcolm Roe Phone : +44 1442 345104 Crosfield Electronics Ltd Fax : +44 1442 343000 Hemel Hempstead, Herts. HP2 7RH, UK E-mail : [log in to unmask] ------------------------------------------------------------------------