The effect of honey bee (Apis mellifera) worker brood cell size on cell infestation and reproductive success of Varroa destructor in
New Zealand was determined by establishing ten nucleus colonies with mosaic frames, each consisting of cells drawn from five
different foundation sizes. When the brood were 18–20 days old, 1636 cells were individually uncapped and the number of adult and
deutonymph female mites were recorded. The internal width of each brood cell was also measured. The data were analysed
according to the imprint size of the “foundation” specified by the supplier, and the “measured” internal width of each individual
drawn brood cell. The “foundation” cell size had no significant effect on the reproductive success of V. destructor, but the proportion
of cells that were infested by adult female mites was significantly different. A significantly higher proportion of the cells drawn from
the 4.8 mm imprint “foundation” were infested compared to those of the other sizes.“Measured” brood cell size had no significant
effect on mite reproduction or infestation.