> Date:    Thu, 19 Jun 1997 17:10:20 EDT
> From:    Leigh Wiley <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: <none>
>
> I tried using mineral oil on my bees and was surprised by 1) the
> uproar it caused ( it appeared to disrupt the hives for the rest of
> the day), and 2) the several dozen dead bees on the bottom boards 1/2
> hour later!  I was really concerned that I might have done in the queen
> but it appears that the ones that died were the ones hit directly by the
> oil as I applied it. Still I have some concerns about using oil for this
> reason. I used a honey bear squeeze jar to apply but perhaps the hole
> was too big? The mineral oil was labled as being for "intestinal use".
> Any suggestions?
>
 
Yes, a suggestion is to read the instructions first!  I don't know where
you got the idea of using a honey bear to squirt the mineral oil onto
the top bars, but that's not what Dr. Rodriguez recommended and in fact
if you had bothered to investigate his proposal you would have found
cautions against using too much FOOD GRADE mineral oil in the hive.  Dr.
R cautioned that too much mineral oil will have the same effect on your
bees as it will on the target mites, and that effect is DEATH!
Armed with the idea that mineral oil will cure mites is as we say in
the systems programming business, "knowing enough to be dangerous!".
Please folks, if you're going to try Dr. R's treatment, read the
instructions first.  If you haven't read instructions or haven't heard
Dr. R speak or don't understand fully the mechanisms behind his
recommended treatments, DON'T USE THEM!  If you understand fully his
proposed treatments you will understand that you too are experimenting
with an as yet unsanctioned (and to my knowledge unpublished) treatment
and there is room for your experiments to go awry.
 
Forgive my tirade, but when I read of some half cocked application
offing ones' bees as warned, I get upset!
 
Aaron Morris - Thinking a little knowledge is a dangerous thing!