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