>
> >Further, the two oils may only serve to confuse/disorient mites. Not kill
> all of them unless they fall on a sticky board. Maybe the affected mites
> leave the hive(s), and maybe they can recover and return later.


Christina, there were three recent studies on mite olfactory camouflage.
The exoskeletons of mites absorb some chemicals differently than do the
exoskeletons of bees.  I've already shopped a proposal to look into this as
a means of making mites more "visible" (via olfaction) to bees.

Your suggestion of mite confusion is where I see great promise in mite
treatments.  Amitraz, for instance, doesn't need to kill a single mite in
order to be effective, since it confuses their reproductive behavior.  Even
a moderately slight reduction in the reproductive success rate of mites
turns them into a relatively harmless parasite.

Re thymol specifically, it does indeed kill phoretic mites, but not those
in the brood.


-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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