> A first year beekeeper whom i have been mentoring has an  interesting
> theory re: Ph balance in bees and the relationship to overall health but
> also the possibility of not being as susceptible to the parasitic mites. Ph
> balance in humans can be altered to some degree and some believe this helps
> fight off illness etc. ie. 1 tbls. of vinegar a day and so on. He has
> introduced certain herbs and natural ingredients into sugar syrup and fed
> this last spring and fall.

This seems to fall into the general work being done with plant oils. There
is a great deal of information in the archives, but I must admit this is
one of the few posts that spell out what the introduction of the
substances is trying to do to the bees to make them undesirable to the
mites. I think you should keep an eye on what is going on, take good notes
and try and use control hives in your observations (maybe one or two of
your own hives would be good for this).

Since the mites are "eating" the bees "blood" it is very possible that you
can do just what your friend is thinking about, making the hemolymph toxic
to the mites. Just remember whatever is being fed to the bees is going to
get into the honey, and just because nature made it does not make it safe
to eat.