>I am just wanting to know if any one had any and what type of success with
>essential oils later fall and over winter. I overwintered 2 hives 1 with
>patties with oils and 1 without. The hive that had oils if doing wounderful
>and no signs of varroa. But the one without is very slow out of the gate here
>and does have some might in the drone brood. Thanks for comments.
>
>B. Tucker
> Polo MO
B. Tucker
        I have been using the canola oil and wintergreen on paper towel
method and am very happy with the results. I have not been able to find
varroa or tracheal even under microscopic disection.  I am in a somewhat
isolated area and this may be the reason for low or nonexistant
infestation.  My neighbor three miles away does have a mite problem and has
just started to treat last fall.  I also treat with apistan spring and
fall.  Lost just one weak hive this winter due to size and stupidity.  The
mixture is one quart of canola oil and a .25 fl oz. of wintergreen and one
roll of paper towels.  Rip the towels apart at the perferations and place
in plastic container that can be covered. Dump the wintergreen into the
quart bottle of canola oil and shake vigorously.  Being of different
viscositys they do not want to mix but will after shaking.  Canola oil is
an oil that will evaporate carrying menthol through out the colony.  Pour
over immediately entire contents over the towels and let sit over night.
When ever I manipulate or go in, I apply a towel on the top bars right in
the way of traffic of each full super of brood or honey.  The bees take
approximately 2 days in chewing up the towels to remove them by carrying
them out and depositing them in your yard.  It is amazing how big a piece
one bee can carry.  This gets oil on the bee and its fellow workers and
sufficates the mites.  I believe the oil is also responsible for inhibiting
the communication and navigational abilities of the mite.  The reason
wintergreen or peppermint or spearment or pachuli(sorry if this is
misspelled) is that these plants contain menthol which force the trachael
mite from the thorax.  Using either artificial or natural menthols is
satisfactory in that the artficial is the identical molecular structure as
the natural.  What I really like about this method is that it is more
compatiable to the bees.  Using menthol patties with my bees is useless in
that the bees ignor them completely.  Crystals are only good at certain
temps. and sometimes the hive is much warmer than you think nearly
sufficating the bees.  I have opened hives on warm days and all you smell
is menthol.  I have also tasted honey from hives that have had menthol
crystals used and tasted the menthol in the honey.  I think that the taste
must carry over in the wax. This method I have just explained is a result
of experimentation by Bob Noels and has been written up in the American Bee
Journal.  This may not be the answer to everybodys mite problem but it
seems to be working for me.
 
George
 
George & Lorraine Willy
The Village Inn of East Burke
Box 186
East Burke, Vermont
05832