New Mite Control?

[brooksbeefarm]

Anyone else see Fat bee man using a insect Fogger with Mineral oil and Wintergreen? It's on U Tube, Wonder if Thyme oil and Mineral oil would work better? If it works it will take alot of work off of treating for mites. Jack

[Jen]

Hey Jack    What would be the purpose of either of those oils in a fog application? I see the bees getting oily wouldn't that kill them?

[iddee]

Before I quit treating, I used the fogger with thymol crystals dissolved in food grade mineral oil. I didn't have a half dozen researchers testing my methods, but my bees stayed alive, so I'm guessing it worked. Then along came Wayne's bees, and I quit all treatments.

[brooksbeefarm]

For the last 6 years i have been a live or let die beekeeper, but last winter i lost 33 hives out of 92? So if this method knocks the mite load down i'm in . Jen, it's supposed to coat the bees, with no harm to them, but suffocates and kill the mites. When i use to treat for mites i used the Alpha 6 method and had good results with it using Thyme oil, but with 50 to 90 hives it was to time consuming taking out each frame and misting them with 1 to 1 sugar mixed with Thyme oil. Jack

[NovaScotiaBeeFarmer]

I would not trust this method for Varroa control. Actually it is not at all new, been around almost 20 years, but keeps getting revisited. From what I have read even the fat bee man no longer uses it...now uses oxalic acid vapour. Despite the long history there is precious little scientific evidence that supports its efficacy.

There was an interesting and detailed thread by Glock on Bee Source last summer or the year before where he tried the mineral oil fogger and reported his findings faithfully. For months he was delighted with the control he felt he was getting until suddenly in late summer Varroa levels spiked and his bees started suffering. I believe he switched to oxalic acid too.

While it is not proof I think the most telling fact is that this 'method' has not been adopted by commercial beekeepers despite its promise of being quick, easy and inexpensive.

Tom

[brooksbeefarm]

Can the Fogger be used for oxalic acid vapour some way ? Jack

[LazyBkpr]

So far the only fogger I have seen that can do a lot of hives quick costs in the neighborhood of three grand..  seen it used, its SWEET, but its way too expensive......    I'd love to make up a 12 volt induction coil with a small blower on it.....   Maybe one of these days I will start investing in some experimentation....

[Mikey N.C.]

Fat bee man is going to be at the Cumberland County bee keepers meeting. on. Tue Oct 27 so i'll ask him what he's using.

[brooksbeefarm]

He was using Wintergreen with mineral oil, i'm thinking thyme oil would work better if i knew how much to mix in the mineral oil without driving them out of the hive. From what i see and read about, Thyme is the main ingredient in most mite control products sold to control Varroa mites? I'm going to try essential oil thyme, and start with 8 drops to the insect fogger (Burgess). The essential oil should mix with the mineral oil since they are both oils? Hey Apis, what's your take?? or antone else. Jack

[apisbees]

Sorry Jack have never used it. I have mainly used formic, a beekeeper down the road invented mite gone slow release formic pads and they work really well. Soak the pads in formic and hang in the hive. only need to do it once as it slowly releases over the 3 weeks. and I have used apistan 2 times and MAQS once.

[lazy shooter]

Does all of these control just work on "NEW MITES?"  What about OLDER MITES? 

[efmesch]

I tried the fogger with food grade mineral oil a few years back.  It was easy to do ---  but the results were nill.  SO, as I figure it, just because a treatment is easy it doesn''t merit using it.  You want something that works.  I'm still waiting for the weather to cool down here so I can try out my new Oxalic Acid vaporizer.

[brooksbeefarm]

Some of my club members are using this for mite control.
3 teaspoons of Savogran oxalic acid (wood bleach}
2 cups water and one teaspoon of 50/50 sugar water solution.
Heat to dissolve everything real good. (don't boil)
Using a syringe and squirt a stream on bees between frames.
No more than 50 ml to each hive.

Is there some reason i couldn't mix a double batch and use it in the fogger to give them a steam bath??? Just asking? Should a person use a protective mask when using oxalic  acid. ? Jack

[LazyBkpr]

I opted out of the liquid treatment, because the bees are forced to ingest it, and it shortens their life span...  Granted, in the summer they only live around six weeks anyhow, so any effect will probably be minimal, but it remains that I just dont want to be a part of the problems they already have.

[NovaScotiaBeeFarmer]

Fat bee man is going to be at the Cumberland County bee keepers meeting. on. Tue Oct 27 so i'll ask him what he's using.

Mikey,
Did you get a chance to ask fat bee man about this?

[Mikey N.C.]

NSBK
No ,he was not there, found out a week later that he wasn't going to be at the meeting , I'm on Beemaster site also , and I received pm on that site to let everyone know so posted that on that site, couldn't remember what site I had made post on, sorry about that should have made a post on this site also. ( sorry)