Hello friends.
I have followed the thread about Crisco and thought to add a couple of lines
in the form of an answer for the original question:
         It seems to me that Crisco (and for that matter, any other oil) has a
physiological action similar to that of  MINERAL OIL, by blocking the body
pores of the mites through which they take in moisture and air, hence killing
the mites through dehydration and asphyxiation.  Oils in solid form are less
effective than are oils in liquid form.  I have
performed contrast tests with Crisco and Mineral Oil.  Tests have revealed
that mineral oil is more effective and faster in action for the treatment of
bee mites.
Menthol is effective against tracheal mites when its fumes penetrate their
site of attachment in the trachea of their host bees.
Although I have used menthol in the past, I have not performed comparative
tests with
mineral oil because I found that mineral oil is effective against tracheal
mites and because
mineral oil does not have the limitations that menthol has.
Best regards.
Dr. Rodriguez