This is cut out of the instructions from Dr. Rodriguez
 
 At present, oil is applied from a bottle (similar to a honey bear) with a
spout with an opening of 1/16" diameter.  Oil is applied steadily, along
the top bars leaving a continuous line of oil measuring approximately the
size of a thin noodle.
 
So don/t get in such an uproar..
 
Jim
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               Wife and Dog missing
               Reward for Dog
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On Fri, 20 Jun 1997, Aaron Morris wrote:
 
> > Date:    Thu, 19 Jun 1997 17:10:20 EDT
> > From:    Leigh Wiley <[log in to unmask]>
> > Subject: <none>
> >
> > I tried using mineral oil on my bees and was surprised by 1) the
> > uproar it caused ( it appeared to disrupt the hives for the rest of
> > the day), and 2) the several dozen dead bees on the bottom boards 1/2
> > hour later!  I was really concerned that I might have done in the queen
> > but it appears that the ones that died were the ones hit directly by the
> > oil as I applied it. Still I have some concerns about using oil for this
> > reason. I used a honey bear squeeze jar to apply but perhaps the hole
> > was too big? The mineral oil was labled as being for "intestinal use".
> > Any suggestions?
> >
>
> Yes, a suggestion is to read the instructions first!  I don't know where
> you got the idea of using a honey bear to squirt the mineral oil onto
> the top bars, but that's not what Dr. Rodriguez recommended and in fact
> if you had bothered to investigate his proposal you would have found
> cautions against using too much FOOD GRADE mineral oil in the hive.  Dr.
> R cautioned that too much mineral oil will have the same effect on your
> bees as it will on the target mites, and that effect is DEATH!
> Armed with the idea that mineral oil will cure mites is as we say in
> the systems programming business, "knowing enough to be dangerous!".
> Please folks, if you're going to try Dr. R's treatment, read the
> instructions first.  If you haven't read instructions or haven't heard
> Dr. R speak or don't understand fully the mechanisms behind his
> recommended treatments, DON'T USE THEM!  If you understand fully his
> proposed treatments you will understand that you too are experimenting
> with an as yet unsanctioned (and to my knowledge unpublished) treatment
> and there is room for your experiments to go awry.
>
> Forgive my tirade, but when I read of some half cocked application
> offing ones' bees as warned, I get upset!
>
> Aaron Morris - Thinking a little knowledge is a dangerous thing!
>