[Rader Sidetrack]

> They can live as long as the bee does right through winter otherwise they would be extinct up here.


Ace, the part of enjambres comment that you quoted includes "off of a bee". In the context of this thread topic the word "off" clearly is meant to mean "independent" of the bee.

Varroa mites cannot live 'independent' of a bee for any material amount of time.

The Varroa mite is a highly specific brood parasite that relies completely on its host’s biology for its own survival and propagation by feeding on bee hemolymph and by reproducing in brood cells. [HIGHLIGHT] A bee independent life stage does not exist. [/HIGHLIGHT]

http://pub.epsilon.slu.se/9036/1/locke_b_120912.pdf

Varroa will starve to death without a bee long before winter is over.

 

[Rader Sidetrack]

I looked for a reference as to how long a mite could live independent from a bee before posting what I did in post #7. I did not find a reference that specified any particular amount of time that a mite could live independently. Considering that a mite feeds from the bee's hemolymph (equivalent to blood), I would guess :s that 15 days might be a real stretch. But don't quote me!

 

[Rader Sidetrack]

See the right hand column of the first page of this Varroa document from MAAREC:

https://agdev.anr.udel.edu/maarec/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Varroa_Mites_PMP2.pdf