>>> [log in to unmask] 05/22/02 09:18AM >>>
>"No adverse effects were noted on the bees during the test period. The product is obviously effective against the mites and added to the fact that all the ingredients are food grade makes it a very good proposition for anyone wanting to produce biological honey, or just to provide a break treatment to slow down resistance to other products"
>
>Quoted by an Apriarist and Entomologist during Dec 2001.
...
>EXORSECT
>
>A new product on the market, based on garlic, is available for the eradication of Aphids, but especially for greenfly and blackfly. The pungent herb, in the form of an environmentally friendly garden spray, is available from:
>
>The manufacturers, Marabou Limited, who have carried out extensive field trials, ...
>http://www.communigate.co.uk/london/fuchsia/page20.phtml


This is interesting information, and heartening for those who would prefer to use effective less toxic controls (food grade?)  I really don't care so much about what the manufacturers "think" about how it works as I do about whether or not the product actually does work effectively against mites.  Is it only available from the UK?

Speaking of botanical treatments for mites, whatever happened to Perilla?  Is a product still in the process of being formulated?  Perilla is a plant commonly grown and eaten in Asia.  The common name is apparently the "Beefsteak Plant".  It comes in red and green varieties and looks like mint or basil and is very pungent.  The red variety is used to provide natural coloring for pickled plums in Japan.   I first became acquainted with it when I lived in Japan for a while.  Apparently an essential oil of this plant is extremely effective in controlling Varroa mites, but after the initial big splash of information on it, Perilla seems to have dropped off the radar screen.  Has anyone heard any more about it?  I happened to have been growing it in my vegetable garden at the time.

In the meantime, I will just keep growing it, drying it, and using it in my smoker (what I don't eat).  I have not performed any actual tests or experiments to quantitatively determine its efficacy, but since I started using it in my smoker (I throw in a small handful on top of the smoldering pine needles), I have not used any more mite strips and I have not seen any colony losses to mites.  I know there are many many other factors which affect mite infestation, including bee genetics, location, climate and numerous others, but I know that I was having mite problems before I started using dried Perilla in my smoker a couple of years ago, and now I am not.

For those interested, my source for Perilla seeds is the Kitazawa Seed Company in Oakland, California (I have been buying from them since 1973, and I have no stock in the company).  I am sure there are many other sources.  The plants reseed themselves very well for me.  Fresh seeds seem to be important for germination.

Layne Westover, College Station, Texas, U.S.A.