So i heard the other day that beekeepers around college station (texas) were planting thyme and mint underneath hives to keep mites out of hives.
I know some mite treatments have thymol in them which is extracted from thyme.
So i was wondering if their is any validity to this theory or if it just another pointless thing :scratch:
Spearmint can be used as an insecticide. I have Spearmint and Apple Mint planted in my bee yard. I just planted a few last year, they are starting to spread a little bit now.
From what I understand, it is the essential oils in the leaves of the plants that do the work against mites. But there doesn't seem to be consensus of opinion on the topic of deliberately putting in the plants for mite control. Planting thyme under a bee hive is a new idea to me. It might be worth a try.
Strange. My bees love thyme flowers. Thyme is only plant in my garden, which is interested to the bees They ignore most of my plants including natives.
I have always heard that it is not practical to grow herbs/crops for bees to forage on because the quantity needed to have a significant impact on them is huge. That hasn't stopped me from planting Linden, Apples, Peaches, Tulip Poplar - the bees seem to be more interested in things like milkweed and fire weed - so my role becomes one of not eradicating them.
This time of the year, in the Attica region of Greece, where I stay, the thyme is starting to bloom. I move my hives to a mountain where it is full of it. After the flow is over my hives are very healthy and strong and with less mites. I don't know if it is dew to the essential oils or the good quality of pollen, but this is the fact.
You see in the foto the place
I love the smell of Thyme. I sniff it when I treat. Formic not so much.
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