From what I have been reading on this list and in beekeeping books the treatments for tracheal mite infestation are:

    1) Tracheal mite resistant honeybee stock breed for grooming behavior.
    2) Menthol crystals put into paper bags and left in the hive for a week or more.
    3) Patties made from vegetable shorting and powdered sugar left in the hive all year round.
    4) Formic acid evaporated in the hive by various methods including a soon-to-be-released gel packet.
    5) Essential oils evaporated in the hive or spread on the bees for them to pick up and rub around on each other.
    6) Food grade mineral oil dribbled in lines on the frame tops for the bees to pick up and rub around on each other.

Are these the major methods for treating tracheal mites, especially the first three? Assuming I have tracheal mites in my apiary but not yet at a dangerous level, which method would most beekeepers recommend I use?

I searched the Bee-L archives but I did not find a mention of which of these treatments was most widely used.

I am a second year beekeeper with four New World Carniolan hives in good condition in a small hobby apiary.

Nathaniel in west central Illinois, USA