At 03:42 AM 6/4/96 +0000, you wrote:
>I am new to this list as I have just started keeping bee's (two new hives).
>If this is a rehashing of old topics I apologize.
>
>I understand that a patty can be made to keep down tracial mites using
>wintergreen. My question is would one made with pepermint work just as well
>or better or not at all? If it does work does anyone have a recipe for
>this?
>
I don't know about wintergreen but menthol is, I'm told, derived from
peppermint. I use a spray made by mixing 2 ml peppermint oil with 1 quart
of 1:1 sugar syrup to combat tracheal mites. This is sprayed directly on
the bees in early spring and during summer after the honey supers have been
removed. I also keep grease patties on the bees all the time, medicated in
winter and unmedicated during honey production. It has been almost 2 years
since I've used any menthol an my bees and I haven't lost any to tracheal
mites, knock wood.
Frank Humphrey
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Franklin D. Humphrey Sr.
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