Benzaldehyde was the first repellent I used, and I used it for many
years. My supply came from FW Jones and Son, Ltd. in Quebec. The former
co-owner, John Craighead, was on the board that banned its use in
Canada. After the ban, I bought out their supply over a number of years.
I thought it worked well. Yes, not so on cold cloudy days, but what does
work well on cold cloudy days? Not BeeGo. Definately not carbolic acid.
Charles Mraz pioneered the use of carbolic acid fume boards, and Chas
and Bill still use it. They don't bother taking off honey on cloudy days.
If you ever used Benzaldehyde, you probably have seen the reason for
discontinuing its use. As the liquid dries on the pad, stalactites of
Benzaldehyde crystals form, and if you're not careful, fall down into
the super. The pads had to be replaced every year.
As far as killing queens...I won't dispute it might happen, but never
saw it myself. As with any repellent, use the very smallest amount that
will succeed in driving the bees down. This varies with weather and
sunshine, and usually requires only a little sprinkle of the repellent
to work.
Mike
On 4/4/2012 1:41 AM, [log in to unmask] wrote:
> We used Benzaldehyde in the 1960s in the US. I am not sure why we did not
> continue using it.
>
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