Rather than taking a complete census of the number of mites on a sticky board, a stratified sampling technique to estimate the number of mites on sticky boards is being developed reduce the difficulty in counting mites. This sampling technique takes advantage of the striped and clumped pattern of varroa on sticky board. Two characteristics of bees and beehives exist to create this parallel non-even distribution of mites. Inside a hive, bees are living on frames and the distance between frames causes mites to land on the sticky board in stripes. Bee behavior also influences the pattern of mites.
Bees cluster within the hive.
These two attributes of bees and beehives create a non-random distribution of mites that need a special sampling technique. Further work is underway to compare the accuracy of the stratified sampling estimate of mite number to mite census counts. This technique is currently being used to determine the mite fall per day in a study of effectiveness of essential oils in the control of mite populations.