a post was asking about nerolic acid- that would be oil of neroli- also called orange blossom oil or absolute (pure essential oil , not adulterated and quite expensive).If one lives near orange groves and the orchardist will let you gather some blooms ( you'll need at least a bucket full over a couple weeks as you replace petals once brown) you can extract your own with cotton batting and oil or purified fat - unscented is the key- a light oil being better than a heavy one- like canola over olive, peanut over rendered lard, etc..use your brain to figure out the light oil..anyway in a covered glass dish lay the cotton batting/wool ( 100% cotton as for first aid , available in rolls) pour on the cleaned petals removing all green parts, stem bits, leaves, etc. then pour on the oil to cover,make as many layers as you have petals, then place the glass lid on the whole, set in sun.check for mould- remove immediately if hinted at. Press the oil from the used cotton batting.Replace the petals when brown in layers as initially setting it up- when picking flowers, leave at least 2 per cluster to insure you don't harm the citrus production.
Neroli oil is available in health food stores, on line, etc.
Citral- can be lemongrass oil , oil of lemon, or oil of mellissa , or lemon balm- lemon balm and lemon grass having a green herbaceous component.
Some recipes call for spearmint oil- why? I think it has to do with the location of the hives- regionally- in places where they get wild mint pollens, eucalyptus pollens, etc. I can see using it, otherwise i am not certain why its in some recipes and not others- Anyone have a thought on this??
I can also see adding a drop or two per hive to wax on crossbars in lure traps to prevent mite infestation- it kills em in chicken coops, ( some 'chicken ranchers" use sassafrass cross poles for roosting to prevent lice, mites, etc. the oil is the active principle so it makes sense to me.
I can also see geraniol ( rose geranium oil, geranium bourbon, scented geranium leaf oil if you're growing your own and distilling your own) as the scent is used in a bunch of lures ( pantry moth traps for instance), but so is carnation oil- its floral spicy scent way more pleasant than geranium.the main quality in having geranium bourbon handy is it kills bee stings 100% in seconds- keep a swab with a tip dipped in the oil wrapped or sealed in plastic with you when danger lurks! it will also kill a number of other insect bites and stings..however if you need an epi-pen keep it with you too. geraniol will only kill the bite's pain and neutralise some insects venoms..
anyway I'm facing a north wall hive moved in when a neighbour cut a tree down- its been a few months and I can smell propolis in the room when i open the door.As spring is impending I need to have a CHEAP plan of action ready.ALL suggestions carefully considered.Anyone In New Orleans that wants free bees ( thousands of em) can help for the bees and portion of the comb and honey provided its usable when we get into the wall..Have tools so all needed is some clean hive parts- or at least transport containers to your house! I will try to keep a few skeps to see what happens after sealing the house.( they are coming in between brick and fascia of wood at the joint- then into the room by a poorly installed window frame job that was not caulked on the parents house- old parents= workmen taking advantage of trusting people..very bad contractors around this area after Katrina..anyway bee problem is driving me crazy. I'm poor and disabled so it complicates everything tremendously, and can't afford to set up hives or would as the plants in the yard attract honeybees when no others are in the area in this number so attribute it to the sweet olive,old rose varieties and abundant flora otherwise..All HelP APPRECIATED IMMENSELY!