Hello Max,

Bob said,

"I predict when resistance to Apistan happens you will soon find fault with
thymol. The still effective Apistan treatment (U.K.) is making the thymol
treatment seem more effective in my opinion."

Why?

I will use liquid formic acid in Canada as an example:

Two delivery methods were being pushed at the last ABF convention. Both
makers talked about the great shape of their bees. Both were using Apistan
once a year and the formic method they were selling once a year . Both were
not in an area of fluvalinate resistant mites (at least not over the last
few years for which their success was claimed).

Many U.S. beekeepers which did proper testing ONLY USED Apistan once a year
and had very healthy bees. My point is if your 98% to 100% control is
working and you are not faced with reinfestation why treat twice a year?

Let us see how well those treatments work without the backup of a 98 to 100%
control!

An excellent article on Thymol is on page 489 of the June 2003 American Bee
journal. as one can clearly see testing results are all over the scale .

From a low of 64% (Imdorf 1999, Ellis 2001) to reported 99% control from
overseas studies.

Thymol has promise but does not provide control in the range desired by most
U.S. beekeepers *All* the time and in my opinion never will.

 I believe beekeepers in California, Texas and Florida might get control in
a higher range than those beekeepers in the Northern states unless the
thymol treatment takes place in say August in New York and North Dakota (as
example).

Tymol is temperature dependent (and in my opinion humidity dependent to a
point).

Bob

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