What do dead mites look like on a bottom board/tray?

[heus]

OK I can easily identify live mites on a bee, and live mites crawling around on a monitoring tray, but what do dead mites look like? Do they quickly dry up? Reason I ask is because I can never spot any dead mites on my board, only the occasion crawling mite. All I see are bits and pieces of wax, dead bees, pollen chunks, etc.These are not sticky boards by the way, just white political sign material.

[Solomon Parker]

Dead mites look the same, sometimes even like a drop of propolis unless you look really close.

You might not have enough to show up well. I have never put much stock in screened bottom boards as a mite control method.

[G'ville beek]

They are really small, little reddish dot. I use one of those hand held microscope, cost about 30 bucks. A really good magnifying glass would work

[Irmo]

I actually use a pretty cheap magnifying glass, about $8.00 at a local drug store. I look for the reddish blobs G'ville mentioned and if I see something that looks like short legs on one side, I count it as a mite.

This site has some pictures, scroll through:

http://www.waldeneffect.org/blog/How..._sticky_board/

[heus]

Thanks guys

[jim lyon]

Keep in mind that a good hive will clean debris off of a bottom board pretty quickly especially with a smooth material such as you are using.
An easy solution for a poor mans sticky board that I have used is to smear some vegetable shortening on some cardboard or the like cut to lay on the bottom board. Check it a day later to get a pretty good idea of your mite drop. You shouldn't go much over a day, though, as the bees will clean it off fairly quickly.

[heus]

My board is under a screened bottom board.

[BoiseBeekeeper]

To me they look like little horseshoe crabs without the long tail. No idea if they have blue blood though.
hs1.jpg

[beemandan]

My board is under a screened bottom board.

I never find any mites on the sheets under my screened bottoms. Make no mistake my hives have mites. Scavengers, particularly ants, keep them cleaned up. Coat that sheet with something sticky, leave it there for 48 hours, then tell us what you find.