Just before a number of Queketteers gathered at Belstead for the annual “Go it Alone Microscopy” weekend, I bought an Ultrasonic Cleaner, which was on special offer at my local Aldi store at an attractive price of £15.99.

Sold for cleaning jewellery, watches and CD ROMs I bought it to clean microscope slides, and told the rest of the group of my intentions and the keen price offer. There was no immediate reaction to the news.

Later the same day I decided to clean up some Varroa destructor mites ready for mounting. The mites were mixed with beehive debris having been collected in 2004 and stored in an envelope since. The mixture of mites and dross was immersed in alcohol and placed in the cleaner surrounded by water and the sample given a couple of 3 minute cleaning cycles. This was so spectacularly successful that the facts suddenly galvanised the group into a frenzy of activity.

Three members decided to carry out a foray to the local Aldi store in Ipswich to buy cleaners for all who wanted one, and duly returned later with eleven boxes as recorded in the photograph. We can offer no information on what reaction came about at the checkout but we must now accept that microscopists recognise a good thing when they see one!

Alan Kime 16/03/07