Varroa mite control with Wintergreen oil?

[showme714]

I saw a Youtube video today where this guy says you can control varroa mites with Wintergreen oil mixed into patties of sugar and shortening. Has anyone else heard of this or tried it? Supposedly there is something in the oil that kills the mites and this came from a university study. I don't remember the name of the school. The guy says that you must wear gloves because the oil is a skin irritant. Seems like if the oil will irritate your skin then maybe the bees shouldn't eat it? Anyone?

[The Bix]

There are certainly many who are more qualified on this forum to discuss this than me.  However, your question jogged my memory about something I read a while ago and I just found it:

http://pinkpages.chrisbacherconsulting.com/1999_Oct_-_My_Thoughts_about_Bee_Diseases_Mites_and_Pests.html

Scroll down to the paragraph with the header, "Parasitic Mites".  The author talks about what grease patties do and his formula.

HTH,

John

[AllenF]

One thing to keep in mind is that SHB love the patties.

[showme714]

One thing to keep in mind is that SHB love the patties.

Do you mean that's bad because the patties will attract hive beetles or that it's good because the patties could control the beetles?

[showme714]

There are certainly many who are more qualified on this forum to discuss this than me.  However, your question jogged my memory about something I read a while ago and I just found it:

http://pinkpages.chrisbacherconsulting.com/1999_Oct_-_My_Thoughts_about_Bee_Diseases_Mites_and_Pests.html

Scroll down to the paragraph with the header, "Parasitic Mites".  The author talks about what grease patties do and his formula.

HTH,

John

Great info on that page. I was sure to bookmark it so I can come back to it. Here is some more info I found:

http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/naturaloils.html

[AllenF]

One thing to keep in mind is that SHB love the patties.

Do you mean that's bad because the patties will attract hive beetles or that it's good because the patties could control the beetles?

It is an open all you can eat buffet for the beetles (or their young).   

[showme714]

It is an open all you can eat buffet for the beetles (or their young).   
[/quote]

Dude! I'm new and prefer straight answers with explanations if possible not riddles. So how do you control the hive beetles?

[VolunteerK9]

It is an open all you can eat buffet for the beetles (or their young).   

Dude! I'm new and prefer straight answers with explanations if possible not riddles. So how do you control the hive beetles?
[/quote]

Not much of a riddle..

As far as controlling them, search the "Pests" forum-plenty of good info there.

[tillie]

You're in the Atlanta area - if you put patties of any kind on your hive, you will have an explosion of hive beetles as AllenF said....they love the stuff.  There are many ways to address the small hive beetle, but these days in Georgia they overwinter in the hives - even after this year's harsh winter.  Getting rid of them is difficult.  One of the simplest ways is to make your own SHB trap - here's a link to the Sonny Mel trap I use following their plans on the Internet.

Linda T in Atlanta

[showme714]

You're in the Atlanta area - if you put patties of any kind on your hive, you will have an explosion of hive beetles as AllenF said....they love the stuff.  There are many ways to address the small hive beetle, but these days in Georgia they overwinter in the hives - even after this year's harsh winter.  Getting rid of them is difficult.  One of the simplest ways is to make your own SHB trap - here's a link to the Sonny Mel trap I use following their plans on the Internet.

Linda T in Atlanta

Thanks for keeping it simple. That is a great video you made. How well did the trap work for you? I was thinking that since the patties are so attractive to the SHB, why not use them as bait in the bottle tops of the trap? Also I will be using a TBH. Any thoughts on how to adapt the trap for use in one?

[showme714]

Here is a link to a site selling an interesting SHB trap:

http://blueskybeesupply.com/beetle_blaster.html

[tillie]

My friends in Atlanta have compared the beetle blaster to AJs beetle eater.  (I have the latter and not the former).  AJs outperforms the beetle blaster regularly.  I don't like either of them because my hands shake and it's difficult to keep the traps upright while filling the tiny little things with oil.  They also don't hold many beetles. 

The sandwich box trap holds a lot more dead beetles and works really well. 

Last year I also used nematodes and we had many less hive beetles in the hives, but this is completely off the topic of varroa and wintergreen oil 

Linda T in Atlanta

[NWIN Beekeeper]

I have a feeling that the Wintergreen Oil and Lard patties were really targeted for Tracheal mites.
Various mints/menthols mask the smell of bees, and thus diminish T-mite loads.
Using grease patties for T-mites is nothing new, but it is being abandoned because of SHB concerns. 

For Oils/Fats to be effective on Varroa, it has to come in physical contact and actually sufficate the mite to be effective.
Some have burned/vaporized various oils in insect foggers to have this effect.
Others swear by using oil soaked cotton cords or just dribbing it on the top bars.

I think that's all a waste of time and money.
If you break your queen's brood cycle (requeen at the right time), you break the mite's mating cycle and population before winter when it counts.

Fat/Beeman can chime in here if he's so inclined. He's had some vidoes (I think using Tea Tree Oil?) online.