K. Bokhorst wrote:
 
> ------This is a message to Dr P Rodrigues but maybe the answer is
> elucidating for all off
> us.
> Dear Dr Rodrigues,
> I followed with interest the discussion concerning MO and I surely are
>
> going to try it.
> At the moment I have 4 hives and with two of them I will apply MO.
> The other two I will apply the drone method as it is improved here in
> the
> Netherlands.
> I must state that one is not breeding mites this way.
> I followed the lessons given by one of the inventors and it turned out
> that
> the hives
> are at least 95% varroa free.
> But I wonder if I understood you well,since English is not my mother
> tongue,and I want to be sure.
> You answered T.V.Fischer that you apply each top bar in all
> broodchambers
> and supers.
> In a normal hive , 2 broodchambers and 1 super, this means that every
> fortnight
> you put 30*2.5=75 ml MO inyour hive.
> In ten months time this means 1.5 liter. It seems to me an enormous
> amount.
> Please tell me if I understood you well.
> Karel Bokhorst
> Bussum, The Netherlands.----
> >Yes.
 
And in 13-14 months time in use, Varroa mite count is down to 2% in some
and 0% in others.  I have not yet arrived at the magic 0% for all my
test colonies.  I think that my test colonies get reinfected from swarms
that I introduced into the test apiary.  Bad mistake! Will have to find
another site to locate swarms!  I had not added the amount of oil that I
have used yet.  The total amount varies according to the number of
frames in the colony, definitely.  I am happy to use 1.5 liter of
mineral oil if that is what it will take me to rid my bee colonies of
bee mites and have the certainty to produce honey FREE of toxic
substances. I consider these two well worth my efforts and expenditure.I
fail to imagine how this volume of a food grade, medicinal substance
becomes "an enormous amount." Based on what?
Thanks for your post.
Best regards.
Dr. Rodriguez
 
> >