Randy wrote:  Varroa practices olfactory camouflage, so it would be dangerous for them to

emit a pheromone that could be sensed by the nurse bees.


I've often wondered why thymol works against Varroa but not so much against Acarapis. And mint was effective against Acarapis, but has no effect on Varroa. Bees weren't affected by either one. The mechanism (AFAIK) by which each compound reduces mite populations is not known.


What if there is a mite pheromone that bees CANNOT detect? What if this pheromone is closely related to an essential oil? And what if this compound may be just enough different between tracheal mites and Varroa that the two treatments mentioned above are not able to knock down both mites.


Further, the two oils may only serve to confuse/disorient mites. Not kill all of them unless they fall on a sticky board. Maybe the affected mites leave the hive(s), and maybe they can recover and return later.


Just throwing out ideas here.


Christina



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