Subject: Article on oils for mites etc.

From: Bill Fernihough <[email-masked]>
Date: 19 Sep 1996 05:01:25 GMT

I wonder if the article on using oils and items such as spearmint etc to 
fight mites could be posted again.  I read it, mail it to myself at an 
address where I had a printer available, but the mail at that location 
died for three days, and the article apparently has gone into 
cyberspace.

---

From: [email-masked] (David J Trickett)
Date: 19 Sep 1996 14:18:14 GMT

Bill Fernihough ([email-masked]) wrote: : I wonder if the
article on using oils and items such as spearmint etc to : fight mites
could be posted again.  I read it, mail it to myself at an : address where
I had a printer available, but the mail at that location : died for three
days, and the article apparently has gone into : cyberspace. 

Subject: ESSENTIAL OILS report
Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 20:58:00 GMT
Message-ID: <[email-masked]>
Organization: WILD BEE'S BBS (209) 826-8107 LOS BANOS, CA
Distribution: world
Lines: 438       

*RIPPED OFF FYI*

Lots of good stuff and things to think about, including how to do it,
who you can buy it, and who to contact for more information. I
find some missing info lost in the translation from the html to ascii
and if needed contact the authors or check and see if this was indeed
published in the AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.

IMHO, I see nothing in this report that any beekeeper can not do on his
own with any fear of being in violation of any law of the United States
of America. *NOW IS THE TIME TO DO IT!* But remember that others may
view it differently. I base my own legal opinion on the fact that the
presence of Varroa mites in a beehive unlike AFB is not cause for action
by any regulatory authorities in California, (don't know about your state
or country), and therefore any treatments are not covered by any
agricultural regulation. The Pure Food & Drug people are should only
interested in products that may contaminate the honey with deleterious
materials. If the materials here described are used according to the
directions there should be no reason for concern as all ingredients are
natural and well know to food scientists and chemists and are are common
ingredients in BEE FOODS and human food and non regulated products
available over the counter. If you combine the ingredients and provide
it for sale you will need to do more legal work then if you do it for
your own use.
                         ttul Andy-
______________________________________________________________________

Varroa Mite Control: Preliminary Results of Research
Letter to Editor, ABJ

Preliminary Results of Research
Varroa Mite Control, 24 June, 1996

Dear Editor,

We have been working with Bob Noel, a beekeeper in Cumberland, Maryland,
since August, 1995.

In our opinion, Bob has discovered an effective and economical control for
varroa mite (Varroa jacobsoni Oudemans (Acari: Varroidae)) and probably also
for tracheal mite (Acarapis woodi (Rennie) (Acari: Tarsonemidae)); we saw
very few tracheal mites in the hives examined.

The following is a brief account of our work and preliminary findings during
the past year.

In summer and fall of 1995, Bob fed syrups containing essential oils1 to his
bees, specifically wintergreen oil and spearmint oil. He mixed 10 to 20 drops
(1/2 to 1 cc, respectively) of the oils to 453.6 grams (one pound) of sugar
in a 0.95 liter (1 quart) jar, and hot water was added to fill the jar. This
syrup was then fed to the bees at the entrance using a standard boardman
feeder. He applied the two syrups to 14 hives as follows: spearmint oil to 5
colonies and wintergreen to 9 colonies beginning in July and continuing until
October. In July, 1995, several of the colonies displayed typical PMS
(parasitic mite syndrome): they were suffering from mite viruses, such as
CBPV, from sacbrood which was quite heavy, and the brood pattern was scattered
and incomplete, very similar to American foul brood (AFB), however, none of
the colonies had AFB. Many of the emerging workers were small with shriveled
wings and very small abdomens. Two of the colonies were so weak in July that
wax moths were attacking comb and brood. Syrups were given ad lib and topped
up daily. Bob assayed varroa mite populations by opening sealed brood cells,
both drone and worker, by observing emerging brood and by directly observing
varroa mite behavior. 

Results: after using treated syrups for three weeks, Bob noticed improved
brood patterns, healthier bees, and reduced mite populations. After 30 days
of treatment (we inspected the colonies in August, 1995) varroa mites were
definitely in decline and the bees were considerably recovered from PMS. On
21 September, we thoroughly inspected several hives; those that were treated
with syrups were virtually free of varroa mite, whereas untreated control
colonies in the area were heavily attacked by varroa mite, had typical PMS,
and were beginning to die off.

In November 1995, Bob found that two of his bee yards (Oldtown, MD and Kifer,
MD) which were free of varroa mites in July and August, were heavily infested
with varroa mites (2-3 mites per adult bee). We believe that workers from
collapsing feral colonies had joined with these colonies bringing in enormous
numbers of varroa mites. Bob treated some colonies with apistan strips and 
grease patties (without essential oils) and others with grease patties
containing the following: four cups of granulated sugar,
two cups of shortening
and 4.8 cc's of wintergreen oil. This mixture was made into 8 oz
patties and
placed one per colony above the cluster. The following spring and early summer
only a trace of varroa mite could be found in the hives treated with the grease
patties containing wintergreen oil; several of the colonies treated only with
apistan and standard grease patties died out.

In May 1996, Bob devised the tracking strip method of varroa mite control:
strips of 1/8 in. plexiglass, 7.5 cm by 35.5 cm (3&quot; by 14&quot;), were
used as a support for a slurry made as follows: 4 parts mineral oil mixed
with 1.5 parts melted beeswax; this liquid was then poured into 4 oz. baby 
food jars to which 2 cc's of patchouli oil and 2 cc's of wintergreen oil were
added. Then &#189; to 3 teaspoons of the slurry were applied to the each
tracking strip with fingers, which were placed lengthwise just inside the
front entrance of each colony. He began these treatments early in May. The day
after strips were applied, dead varroa mites were found on the tracking strips-
-several dead mites per colony. 

Bob's associate, Harry Mallow (a beekeeper for 30 years, former Maryland bee
inspector, and former president of the Maryland State Beekeepers Association)
treated one hive (his last surviving colony at beeyard No. 2) with the tracking
strip on 31 May, 1996 (double the dose of patchouli and wintergreen oils; i.e.,
4 cc of each oil in 4 ozs. of the slurry). On June 1st, both Harry and Bob 
observed several 100's of dead varroa mites at the entrance, on and around the
strip. They returned on June 2nd to videotape the dead mites--most had been
carried off by ants, but several dozen dead mites still remained at the
entrance. Amrine inspected this colony on 6 June, 1996, and found very few
live varroa mites on workers in the hive (two were seen on 1000's of bees 
examined). About 100 sealed drone cells were examined; several recently capped
drone cells contained 18 to 25 highly aggitated varroa mites--they ran around
the larva or pupa very rapidly and ran quickly onto and over the combs. It
appears that at the time of treatment they entered nearly capped drone cells
as if they were &quot;bomb shelters&quot; to avoid the tracking material.
The older capped drone cells (with colored pupae and capped before the
treatment) contained normal numbers of normally developing varroa mites.

On June 6, 1996, Amrine inspected 12 of Bob Noel's colonies, in three bee yards
and collected all varroa mites that could be found. About 100 sealed drone
cells and several worker cells were opened in each colony. Four sealed drone
cells were found infested with varroa at his &quot;Rick's&quot; bee yard in
Cumberland, MD: two in colony number 4, treated with a tracking strip contain-
ing the mineral oil-beeswax slurry and 4 cc of patchouli oil in a baby food
jar (4 oz); and one each in colonies 2 and 3 which were treated with the same
slurry containing 2 cc of wintergreen oil and 2 cc of patchouli oil (in 4 oz.)
Varroa mites were not found in hive number 1 (same treatment as hives 2 and 3)
We regard these numbers as a trace infestation of varroa mites. (The same
colonies were inspected by Maryland bee inspector Dave Thomas, who found no
live varroa mites on 18 May, 1996). No deformed bees were found; there were 12
to 14 frames of brood in each colony which were the best looking colonies we
have seen in the last three years.

Inspection of the Kifer, MD bee yard resulted in finding only two sealed drone
cells with varroa mites (one each) out of 100 drone cells examined (hive
number 3). This hive had been treated only with grease patty + wintergreen oil
in November 1995, and a tracking strip (slurry made from 4 parts canola oil
+ 1.5 parts melted beeswax and 2 cc of patchouli oil) was added 30 May 1996.

The colonies had two or three mites per adult bee in November, 1995.

Inspection of the Oldtown, MD, bee yard resulted in finding 3 sealed drone
cells containing varroa mites out of 100 cells examined in each of two
colonies. These had been treated with grease patties containing wintergreen
oil in November 1995, and had received no other treatment. In November, the
colonies had two or three varroa mites per adult bee.

Summary of Treatments:

1). Syrup: 10-20 drops of wintergreen or spearmint to one pound (453.6 grams)
of sugar in a quart jar (0.95 liter); hot water added to fill jar.

2). Grease patties: made with four cups of granulated sugar, two cups of
shortening and 4.8 cc's of wintergreen oil.

3). Tracking strips: strips of 1/8 in. plexiglass, 7.5 cm by 35.5 cm (3&quot;
by 14&quot;), were used as a base for holding a treated slurry made as follows:
4 parts mineral oil mixed with 1.5 parts melted beeswax; this liquid was then
poured into 4 oz. baby food jars to which 2 cc's of patchouli oil and 2 cc's
of wintergreen oil were added. Then &#189; to 3 teaspoons of the cooled slurry
were applied to the tracking strip which was placed lengthwise just inside the
front entrance of each colony. These treatments were repeated after 5 days:
the old slurry, dead mites and dead deformed bees were scraped off and new
slurry added.

CONCLUSIONS:

Bob Noel's experiments from July 1995 to the present have demonstrated that
essential oils in sugar syrup, grease patties and tracking strips are able to
greatly reduce populations of varroa mites in bee colonies. 1) Spearmint oil
at the rate of &#189; to 1 cc per quart of syrup (1# of sugar) had the best
results when fed in July through October; wintergreen oil was less effective,
but still highly effective, in these experiments. 2) Grease patties containing
4.8 cc's of wintergreen oil were very effective from November until April in
reducing and nearly eliminating varroa mites in heavily infested colonies
treated in November. 3) Tracking strips containing 2cc of patchouli oil and
2 cc of wintergreen oil (or 4 cc of patchouli oil) are very effective in
controlling varroa mites during spring build up. 4) In all cases of successful
treatments, the essential oils were delivered to the brood nest of the treated
colonies. The importance of this last observation can not be overemphasized.
Two experiments of ours support the importance of this point.

First, Harry Mallow began sugar syrup treatment of 16 colonies at his bee yard
No. 1 in September, 1995. He treated 8 colonies with syrup and essential oils
only (4 with 15 drops of wintergreen oil per pound of sugar, and 4 with 15
drops of spearmint oil); the cans were placed at the top of the colonies (in
contrast to boardman feeders placed at the entrance by Bob Noel).

[Nurse bees and foragers collect nectar from a boardman feeder and the syrup
and essential oils go to the brood; feeders at the top of a hive do not
usually deliver syrups or food directly to the brood nest.] Four more of his
colonies were given wintergreen syrup + apistan strips and the last four
colonies were given untreated syrup as controls. Only the four colonies with
wintergreen syrup + apistan survived. These colonies were treated too late and
the syrup was fed in the wrong location: at the top of the colony instead of
the entrance.

Second, Harry also treated one colony located in his beeyard No. 3 in April of
1996 with canola oil + wintergreen oil (4 cc of wintergreen in 4 ozs. of
canola); a folded paper towel with canola + wintergreen was laid on a queen
excluder above the cluster. He got a good kill of varroa mites (many were
found dead on the bottom board). He continued this treatment for several weeks.
We inspected the colony on 6 June, 1996: a paper towel with canola oil was on
top of a queen excluder at the top of the colony (1 and &#189; story); it had
not been touched by the bees (in contrast, the original paper towel was
shredded by the bees in April). [After April, the bees have little reason
to go to the upper part of the hive and will not be affected by treatments
placed there.] About 100 sealed brood cells (mostly drone) were examined in
this colony; about 1/4 of the drone cells contained normally developing varroa
mites. Obviously, this treatment, though effective in April when the cluster
was near the top of the upper super, was no longer working. Thus the presence
of the essential oils in the top of the hive was insufficient to cause
reduction of varroa mite. This probably explains some of the negative reports
we have read or heard from other researchers using essential oils--they
apparently did not deliver the oils to the brood nest in a way that nurse bees
and foraging bees would be treated; thus the tracking board at the entrance is
highly effective, the syrup fed by boardman feeder is highly effective, and
treated grease patties above the fall and winter cluster proved highly
effective. The treatments must be delivered to the brood nest--in such a way
that nurse bees and foraging bees are treated.

Proposed mechanisms of action:

Our observations of Bob Noel's experiments in 1995 and 1996 indicate the
following mechanisms are probably at work in controlling varroa mites:

1) Direct toxicity: The grease patties and tracking strips indicate that the
essential oils are able to kill varroa mites by direct contact, within 24
hours or less. Honey bees are not harmed by these oils at the rates used;
honey has not been found to be contaminated by any of the treatments used to
date (taste test). The evidence to date is strong enough to prove that this is
definitely a mechanism of varroa mite control; however, no case has been
observed where direct toxicity has totally elliminated the mites. For now, it
can only be regarded as a partial control and effective only at time of
treatment and for several days following.

2) Sensory disruption: it seems that the essential oils from grease patties
and tracking strips are able to mask the normal chemosensory receptors on the
tarsi and mouthparts of varroa mites, disrupting the mite's ability to
function normally. As a result, they are not able to properly invade larval
cells about to be capped, nor do they seem to be able to properly insert
themselves under the sternites of worker bees and feed on bee hemolymph. They
may not be able to recognize adults and mature larvae of honey bees because of
the presence of the grease + oils on the mites' cuticle and sensory receptors.
This mechanism is hypothetical and is supported indirectly by observations
of behavior of varroa mites in treated colonies by Bob Noel, Harry Mallow and
us.

3) Reproductive disruption: it is apparent that varroa mites in all three
methods of treatments are not able to reproduce normally. Examination of cells
at or near the time of emergence of bees and mites from mite-infested cells
in treated colonies show that few newly developed females are found; many
cells have been found containing dead immature mites and single females that
never reproduced (so-called nonreproducing or sterile females). We conclude
that the essential oils are able to disrupt the reproductive mechanism of the
varroa mite.

It is known that under natural, untreated conditions, the female varroa mite,
after feeding on a larva in a sealed cell for 1-2 days, normally becomes &quot;
gravid&quot;--she appears swollen and the cuticular membrane between the
sternal and genital plates becomes stretched and evident as white borders
around the plates. The so-called &quot;eggs&quot; deposited by the female are
in reality immature mites that are ready to emerge as protonymphs, the
embryonic and larval stages having been completed within the chorion inside
the body of the female. Thus, the female is converting the blood of the bee
larva and/or pupa into nutrients for each developing immature mite. This part
of the varroa's development is viewed by us as its weakest point, the so-called
&quot;Achilles' Heel&quot; of the varroa mite, and appears to be the major
target of action of the essential oils. The oils may be disrupting enzyme
systems used to convert bee blood nutrients into nutrients for the developing
immature mites and so the females are not able to produce &quot;eggs&quot;.
Also, after hatching, very few of the mites in treated colonies were able to
complete development by the time the bee emerged from the cell.

These mechanisms help explain observations given to us by several beekeepers
where honey bee colonies were located in regions with blooming plants rich
with essential oils, such as mints, mellaleucas, eucalypts, etc., and which
were often found to be free of, or not harmed by, varroa mites. We presume that
the bees foraged on flowers of the plants, or on the resins of the plants for
propolis, and returned to their colonies with these nectars or resins
containing essential oils.

Appartently, enough of the essential oils reached the brood cells so that the
development of the varroa mites was disrupted in the colonies. This probably
explains the failure of varroa mites to develop in many tropical regions, such
as Brazil: the large variety of native flora apparently produce essential oils
in nectar, pollen or propolis to the extent that normal reproduction of the
mites is impaired.

We believe that these essential oils, which were originally produced by the
host plants in order to kill, repel or prevent arthropod attack, are a very
natural means of mite control. Honey bees are not affected by the essential
oils, especially those from Lamiaceae (the mint family), because of concurrent
evolution of the bees with these flowering plants and their essential oils;
the bees long ago developed techniques to avoid, or counteract, the toxicity
of the essential oils. However, the varroa mites, which were originally on
Apis cerana in South and East Asia, apparently are susceptible to the
essential oils. An important question is whether varroa mites will be able to
evolve resistance to the essential oils; only time will tell. However, there
are so many essential oils available, that if resistance to one appears,
another oil may be substituted; the only real fear is whether varroa mite may
eventually develop resistance to the entire class of essential oils.

Our future research will be directed toward 1) finding an essential oil
treatment that will totally erradicate varroa mites from hives; 2) providing
evidence to elucidate and document the mechanism(s) by which varroa mites are
controlled by essential oils; 3) testing the oils at increased levels to
determine toxicity levels to honey bees; 4) testing honey harvested from
treated hives for the presence of essential oils.

We encourage other beekeepers to conduct research similar to ours in order to
help find a way to eliminate bee mites. Please let us know if you have had
similar results. Our interests in this project are strictly non-profit and for
the benefit of the honey bee industry and beekeeping in general.

Respectfully submitted,

James W. Amrine, Jr., Terry A. Stasny, and Robert Skidmore
West Virginia University

P. S.: We can be reached at the following addresses:

Computer Science and School Coordinator
108 Blackiston Ave.
Cumberland, MD 21502

Telephone: 301-724-3529

Harry A. Mallow, Former Regional Bee Inspector, Allegheny &amp; Garrett Cos.
Md. Dept of Agric. (under John Lindner)

11914 Valley Rd. NE
Cumberland, MD 21502
Telephone: 301-724-2191

James W. Amrine, Jr.2 (Professor), Terry A. Stasny 2 (Research Acarologist)
and Robert Skidmore

(Apiculture graduate student)

Division of Plant and Soil Sciences,

P. O. Box 6108, West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV 26505-6108

Telephone: 304-293-6023; E-mail: [email-masked]

1 For a source of essential oils, we recommend Lorann Oils, 4518 Aurelius Road,
P. O. Box 22009, Lansing, MI 48909-2009. Toll free number is 1-800-248-1302.
Fax number is 517-882-0507. Lorann Oils will send catalogs to callers and will
sell essential oils at wholesale prices to beekeepers (callers must identifiy
themselves as beekeepers) in quantities from 1 oz. to 1 gallon. Beekeepers
needing larger quantities should call for special pricing.

2Amrine has been teaching beekeeping at WVU since 1978, is past president of
the Eastern Apiculture Society (1982) and is current president of the
Morgantown Area Beekeepers Association; Stasny is founder of the Morgantown
Area Beekeepers Association (1977), and has been a beekeeper for 30 years;
Skidmore was a bee inspector for the Pennsylvania Dept. of Agriculture, Erie,
Pennsylvania area in 1995.

EXPERIMENTAL TREATMENT: MENTHOL + CANOLA OIL FOR TRACHEAL

MITE CONTROL

Developed by Bob Noel, 24 July, 1996.

Make a stock solution that contains 2.5 ozs. of menthol crystals per half
pint of vegetable oil (70.9 grams/236cc) or 5 ozs./pint (141.7 grams/473 cc ).
(Menthol crystals are available from Lorann Oils at a competitive price;
contact Lorann Oils at 1-800-248-1302 or 1-800-862-8620--identify yourself as
a beekeeper and request a copy of their catalog. Address: 4518 Aurelius Road,
P. O. Box 22009, Lansing, MI 48909-2009).

1. Weigh out and place the menthol crystals in a suitable jar, add the correct
amount of vegetable oil (eg., Canola oil).

2. Place the jar in a pan of water on low heat until the crystals are
dissolved (keep the lid on the jar).

3. For each pint of sugar syrup, use 1 teaspoonful of the menthol + oil stock
solution. (Make syrup from equal parts of sugar and syrup; 1 rounded cup of
sugar + 1 cup of water makes almost one pint of syrup).

4. After adding the menthol + oil, seal the jar of syrup until needed.

5. Make a sprinkling jar by punching holes in jar lid with a small nail.

6. When ready to treat for tracheal mite (Acarapis woodi), shake the sugar
syrup well and pour into the sprinkling jar. Mixture should be warm--baby
bottle warm.

7. Open the hive and sprinkle the full pint over the bees in the brood
chambers. The bees will clean themselves and in the process, give themselves
a dose of menthol which will kill the tracheal mites.

8. Repeat in 7 days to kill mites that hatched from eggs; or repeat as
necessary.

9. Treatments in fall and spring are usually sufficient, but it can be used
for a weak colony suspected of having tracheal mites. Be sure to treat swarms
and new colonies: 2 times, five days apart.

10. If the menthol + oil crystallizes, reheat and crystals will dissolve.
Questions or comments please contact:

James W. Amrine, Jr.

Division of Plant and Soil Sciences,
P. O. Box 6108, West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV 26505-6108 USA
Telephone: 304-293-6023

E-mail: [email-masked]

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 þ QMPro 1.53 þ ... Where the bee sucks, there suck I;

--

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From: [email-masked] (Bob )
Date: Thu, 26 Sep 1996 16:32:13 GMT

>it for sale you will need to do more legal work then if you do it for

Here is the legal status of using essential oils IMHO.  A substance
used to kill mites on bees meets the legal definition of a pesticide.
The status of the pest vis a vis control efforts by plant quarantine
officials makes no difference.  A pest is a pest and substances used
to control it are pesticides.  

There is no federal law or regulation against using an unregistered
pesticide!  FIFRA allowed for such regulations to be passed but the
U.S EPA never did so.  It is illegal to sell an unregistered
pesticide.  If you make claims that the product will control pests,
you may be accused of selling an unregistered pesticide.  

States have their own laws and regulations.  I only know California's.
In California a hobbyist or homeowner can concoct whatever they wish
to control pests so long as they are not involved in any sort of
production agriculture.  California has a law against selling or using
any unregistered pesticide in a commercial way.  Nobody is likely to
get an essential oil product registered for use on bees in the
forseeable future.  Just because they are natural substances does not
mean it won't cost a lot to register them as pesticides.  The most
toxic substances in the world (excluding radioactive compounds) are
"natural", e.g. botulinin toxin, strychnine, nicotine.   There is
evidence that Thymol can cause damage to bees.   

In terms of priorities of the California regulatory officials, this is
probably quite low.  However if it becomes too overt, they will have
to take some action.  A key element of a violation is the presence of
claims of control of pests.  If you are feeding your bees natural
substances as a nutritional supplement, that should be OK.

Bob