Allen Dick wrote: Dear Allen: Good thought. I am convinced that there is a future for mineral oil use as an acaricide both for hobbyists and commercial beekeepers. Unfortunately, I have recognized from the beginning that my approach is not cost effective for commercial beekeeping. I hope that someone will develop a method (foggier; atomizer; ???) that will make the method practical for large scale beekeepers. I tried a hand sprayer as part of my application trials but I found that the oil was too "thick" to be sprayed and ended up squirting it in big droplets. Also I did not have control of the oil which is a very important factor to keep the bees from getting soaked. My experience with oil continues to be promising. I have not lost any colonies after the initial set up (one year span). I lost 5 colonies out of eleven while treating with "chemicals" prior to starting with the mineral oil treatment. Also, although I still have mites, the ratio of infestation is very low, contrary to my initial counts. In my opinion, the method has a great potential, especially if a method of application is developed in which the oil can be applied in a cost effective manner. Keep exploring the possibilities. Good luck and happy beekeeping. Best regards. Dr. Rodriguez