While in Tunisia N. Africa, Where Varroa had been established for
some time we used several Smokem type of home remedies for Varroa control.
        Each was used in conjuction with a screen and a sheet of sticky
paper or plastic on the bottom board.  I used plastic with cooking oil.
Tobacco seemed to anesthetize the mite which would drop off and stick.  The
plastic was removed
and mites counted to determine relative numbers in that hive and then the
process repeated in the next hive.  It worked both as a crude sampling
procedure and helped reduce the numbers.  It did not get any mites under
the cappings and so needed to be repeated to really help a hive.  It worked
ok where time was plentiful but in the US even hobbiests might find it too
time consuming and certainly not as effective as Fluvalinate.
        Another concoction that we used, that was even more effective, was
to use the same sticky trap set up using thymol, menthol and Eucalyptus
leaves (Camphor) homogenized in the smoker with normal cow dung.  It was
quite effective at knocking down the mites.  Unfortunately it was difficult
to get all the ingredients (except the leaves) and if you inhaled the smoke
or got it in your eyes it was very caustic.
        Dr. Calderone has done some preliminary work with this latter
mixture but in a patty form.  I hope he persues it because it is apparently
quite effective.  I do not know about potential contamination of hive
products however.
        Mike
 
>     In my recent readings, I have come across some references to using
>     tobacco
>     in the smoker with the implication that the tobacco smoke kills
>     varroa.
>     Is there any validity to this?
>     What benefits are derived from using tobacco?
>     What drawbacks?
>     Opinions?
>     Mark Egloff
>     [log in to unmask]