Mauricio Montes Castillo wrote:
Dear Sir:
     I have spent a lot of time, sweat and money trying to find a
solution to the onslaught that bee mites have brought onto honey bees
worldwide.  I fail to see where making fun of it will alleviate the
situation.  I think that the situation is bad enough with the doubts
(understandably) that beekeepers have regarding introduction of what
seems like a rather simple solution.
     I have been very careful to stress the reasons for the use of FOOD
GRADE MINERAL OIL  in contrast to:
     1.  vegetable oils which degrade (break down) leaving unpleasant
odors inside the chambers of the colony and perhaps becoming a culture
medium for germ growth. And, of course once the oil breaks down it
probably will lose its ability to act against the mites.
 
     2.  baby oil:  time and again I have explained that baby oil
(although mineral oil) is unacceptable because it is perfumed!  Reports
from the field indicate that some beekeepers have observed unusual
behavior in their bees when using mineral oil (?).  I  have yet to see
any type of reaction to mineral oil after 12 months of continuous use of
it which leads me to believe that perhaps the oil in question may have
had flavor or odor.  As any beekeeper knows, bees do react to odors
quite readily.
     In closing, I consider this subject far too serious to make jest
out of it.
BROMAS   APARTE  SENOR  CASTILLO.
Best regards.
Dr. Rodriguez