>
> >Could you explain why and how [thymol] is 'rough on bees'?


Thymol is a chaotropic agent which disrupts the intermolecular forces
between water molecules, allowing proteins and other macromolecules to
dissolve more easily. Chaotropic agents interfere with the membranes in
living organisms.  That is why it has such wide antibiotic properties to
many forms of life.

In the case of bees, it is an irritant, which they react vigorously to by
avoidance, fanning, removal, or encapsulation in propolis.  Thymol easily
kills brood, and can cause the queen and broodnest to move to other combs.
 A higher dose kills bees outright.

That said, proper treatment with thymol reduces varroa levels; varroa is
demonstrably harmful to bees.  Many beekeepers, including myself, use
thymol regularly to great effect.

Peter, as I recall,  you evaporate crystals in metal lids above the
cluster.  Could you please elaborate on your method?

-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html

Guidelines for posting to BEE-L can be found at:
http://honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm