At 07:38 PM 3/28/98 -0500, you wrote:
>Carlos,  Vaseline is a PETROLEUM PRODUCT and can NOT be used like Mineral
Oil.
>You can drink Mineral Oil and it would not harm you, only make you go to the
>bathroom.
 
Hay Guys,
 
I am getting confused, is not "mineral oil" a refined petroleum product? I
believe the dividing line is still between Veg'ge oils from seeds and
Mineral oils from refined petroleum and animal oils. Then there are
synthetic oils which could start as one or the other and some of them are
reported to give some people the runs when they consume more then a pound
or two of chips cooked in them just reaching the store shelves here in
California.
 
Heck all this is like new math to me so I guess we should try them all.
 
I am sure if you drink more then a little mineral oil you would be in a
world of hurt. But in any case the effect MO or any oil has on mites is not
because they or their host are eating it,  I believe the idea is the bees
get it on themselves and the mites become coated with it and  it suffocates
them. At least that is the way MO or Oil is used to control mites in other
larger anemias, and in fact used motor oil works good with some of these
mites when nothing else is at hand. The same as when a bees gets in your
ear and you are miles away from home I have used the oil that drains off
the dip stick in my truck to do the job and avoided a very painful bee
sting so close to my brains. I would suggest that you let this oil cool
just a bit before trying this one or you will have a dirty red ear for a
day or two. I guess that is why I never had a problem with mites in that
ear, folded up the live bee so he came right out and did in my own mites
with 3 in One oil. One from use in the truck.
 
MO is light enough in viscosity that it does not cause harm to the bees
themselves unless applied directly in amounts that it completely coats them
and then some loss would be expected. As I understand it.
 
The original idea was to spread it on a few top bars of brood comb or on a
paper carrier that the bees would have to walk in or work on and then it
would be spread around in amounts that do in the mites and do no harm to
the bees or their environment.
 
Repeated treatments would be necessary to get the majority of the mites of
course.
 
Some beekeepers have expanded this idea to spraying the bee hive entrance
so the bees have to walk in the oil and seem to be reporting some success,
a heck of lot better then spraying them with Omite, a lot cheaper too.
 
I would like to point out that many treatments like MO have been suggested
in the past. One that comes to mind is the dusting of the bees in the hive
with rice flower. Hard to find here but common in India and Asia. Anyway
the idea was that it coated the mites sticky padded feet and they could not
hold on to their host and fell off and starved to death. Have no idea if
this has ever been tested in the US, suspect not, or do I know if other
flowers or finely ground materials would do the same thing.
 
ttul, the OLd Drone
stop in and view the new pictures of the
effects of El Nino on California beekeeping
just posted 3/28
http://209.76.50.54
 
 
 
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