Changes

There are some beekeepers that have managed to keep their ''Apis mellifera mellifera'' bees for years without treating them for [[varroa]]. Not all bee populations will manage to survive without treatment though. In order to get an idea of how your colonies are doing , it is advisable to count the natural varroa mite downfall on the bottom board. This information will also enable you to include varroa resistance /tolerance into your breeding activities. This is a rather complicated topic and you can surely find additional information outside of this wiki.

** Count and write down the number of dead mites on the bottom board over 7 to 10 days. *** In the spring: If you find more than an average of 1 mite per day you should consider treating the colony.*** In the fall: If you find more than 15 mites per day, you should consider treating the colony.

PICTURES JAOCHIM of a <div style="float:left;"><gallery caption="Counting varroa mite, of downfall" mode="packed-hover">File:Varroa.jpg|Varroa miteFile:Bottomboard.jpg|Taking out the bottom board of lars checking his clean boardFile:Count varroa.jpg|Counting varroa mite downfall</gallery></div>