Are High Mite Levels Always Accompanied by DWV?

[Adam Foster Collins]

I'm wondering about signs of mites - other than the mites themselves.

Last year, I had high mite levels by this time in the season. I had a lot (like hundreds of bees) with Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) crawling around in front of the hives.

This year, I have seen no bees with DWV. I have no dead bees in front of the hives. The bee populations are healthy inside the hives.

Does DWV always accompany high mite levels?

What are some of the other signs that mite levels are high?

I'm wondering if you can reliably detect high mite levels without doing tests to count dead mites.


Thanks,

Adam

[Michael Bush]

Short answer, no.  Not necessarily.  Lack of deformed wings is not proof of low mite levels.  And a few deformed wings doesn't necessarily mean you have high mite levels.  But a lot of deformed wings probably indicates high mite levels.  The only real way to determine mite levels is to measure the mite levels.  :)