View Full Version : Menthol
I just put a packet of Menthol on my hive and my bees seemed to not like it. They buzzed quite loudly and ran from it. I am trying to encourage them to fill this top super, not run out of it. Is this a normal reaction for the bees? I think I may just take it off and try to FGMO treatments....
Iowabeeman
08-05-2003, 10:14 PM
Bees don't like menthol. If it gets hot, it can run them out of the hive. They will also build big gobs of propolys around the menthol bags to try and seal them up. menthol kills the tracheal mites but the bees don't like it. If it's disolved in cooking oil and then applied with towels you can save yourself some trouble.
mark williams
08-06-2003, 06:26 AM
Also as Iowabeeman said it kills tracheal mites.& the FGMO kills the varroa mites.as far as I know menthol is the only sure way to kill tracheal mites.>>>>Mark
MountainCamp
08-06-2003, 07:58 AM
If you have a super on that you are looking to extract suplus honey for you from, take the menthol out.
It is not a good idea treat with anything that can leave a residue in your honey.
Wait till you pull off your supers before treating.
Michael Bush
08-06-2003, 08:10 AM
The FGMO fog is supposed to kill tracheal mites. Since I can't see them in the first place, it's difficult for me to say for sure that it does, but I haven't used any grease patties or anything else for tracheal mites since I started fogging.
Thanks for all the replies! I am not trying to get any honey right now, this is a nuc of bees I installed in the spring that I am trying to encourage them to store honey for winter stores. I am going to remove the menthol and just use grease patties for now.
clintonbemrose
08-06-2003, 09:22 AM
I use FGMO all season weekly and send samples to the bee labs 2 times a year. This year for the first time I have had only a few varrora and no T mites found by them. I use the mop cords and fog each hive for 5 seconds weekly.
The cords are replaces every 30 days and used only on the brood hive bodies which are 2 high.
Clint
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Clinton Bemrose
just South of Lansing Michigan
Robert Brenchley
08-06-2003, 04:04 PM
Trouble with treating for tracheal mite is that it does nothing to help the bees develop immunity. In the early 20th Century it was a disaster here in the UK, nowadays we hardly notice it. There must be resistant stock around.
WineMan
08-07-2003, 08:22 AM
On this side of the pond, those stocks would be the American Buckfast and the Canadian Buckfast and the New World Carnolian.