Hi! I have been using my own thymol-based varroacide for 5 years now applied
just after the honey removal in July. My treatment is a solution of thymol
and another essential oil in ethyl alcohol.It is applied on a wad - actually
two household cleaning pads- mounted inside a Dadant frame under a wire mesh
screen.The frame is placed next to the brood in a single broodbox.Following
comments apply:
§ I have not lost a colony in 5 years
§ the bees do indeed initially move away from this frame but return quite
soon - presumably after the alcohol has evaporated.
§ The varroa start to fall after about 48h, they are not all dead many are
disoriented,all colours fall red, white, brown. I smear the varroa tray ( in
place during the treatment ) with medicinal white oil ( food grade mineral
oil ) to ensure they do not survive.They fall thro the wire mesh hive floor
onto the tray.
§ The bees propolise the mesh over the wad ( as they do if one uses formic
acid as varroacide )
§My treatment does not kill varroa in the cell so it has to stay on for
about 3 weeks, sometimes a 2nd dose is necessary
§ The air temp range should be 15°C min. 25°C max.
§ This treatment definitely encourages robbing, watch out for weak stocks,
nuclei etc.( this has been claimed for other thymol treatments)
§ Some German apiarists claim that a side effect of thymol is the repression
of chalk brood
§ I observe that the bee louse also falls, it is not killed.
§ I have not seen bees or queens killed by my varroacide.If the air temp. is
too high they may throw out dead pupae.
I use alcoholic solution both to thoroughly spread the main ingredients and
because I have read that alcohol vapour alone kills varroa.
I see no reason why other thymol-based varroacides should not behave
similarly.There is a varroacide treatment here based upon pure thymol.
Good luck! Derek Steed

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