by DR. PEDRO P. RODRIGUEZ
2133 Wolfsnare Road
Virginia Beach, Virginia 23454
E-mail: DronebeeR@netscape.net



Introduction

This study is a continuation of previous years of investigation on this subject. This year's study introduces three variations with Spanish honey bee colonies that have been treated strictly with food grade mineral oil for three consecutive years.

1.	Food grade mineral oil applied in fog form with a Burgess Propane fogger at one-week intervals.
2.	Food grade mineral oil applied in fog form with a Burgess Propane fogger and with cords soaked in a food grade mineral oil emulsion applied every three weeks.
3.	Food grade mineral oil applied in fog form with a Burgess Propane fogger and with cords soaked in a food grade mineral oil emulsion applied once a month.

Rationale


Worldwide opinion of investigators working with honey bee mites coincide in that these parasites continue to kill honey bee colonies, domestic and feral, in spite of great efforts and large quantities of resources employed to combat them. The most common reason for the successful survival of these pests, as pointed out by these investigators, seems to be development of resistance to the different kinds of pesticides that are being constantly developed and applied against them. Hence, it has become evident that there is a great need to implement and employ alternative integrated means of treatment to which these parasites will not develop resistance. A variety of promising practices are being utilized for this purpose, such as non-chemical substances, drone trapping, small cell honey combs, hygienic behavior selection, screened bottom boards, oxalic and formic acids, and oils.



Utilizing previous knowledge obtained during my earlier years as a budding veterinarian and subsequently as a veterinary officer, I became acquainted with the properties and suitability of the use of food grade mineral oil for industrial and medicinal purposes. I employed mineral oil successfully in my veterinary practice for the treatment of mites of domestic animals. Knowing of its generalized use for medicinal and industrial purposes, and because of its non-toxic and non-contaminating properties, I conceived the idea of its utilization as a treatment for honey bee mites. Soon after Italian researchers published their findings of resistance against fluvalinate by bee mites, it became apparent to me that this might be a malady that may continue to repeat itself on new pesticides developed, as is usual with other pesticides utilized for other agricultural purposes. I was certain that mineral oil would kill bee mites, but two big questions kept bothering me: Would it kill honey bees as well and if not, how to apply the oil in a cost-effective manner? Certainly, it became obvious that I needed to determine how the oil would affect the mites in order for me to be able to find ways and means to apply it.

The answer to the first part of my worries was soon resolved. It was revealed, when I applied mineral oil directly to the mites, as I observed that these died promptly and that other mites collected simultaneously, but left without exposure to mineral oil, survived in excess of four days. And yes, I discovered with a certain degree of panic that honey bees exposed to a drop of mineral oil deposited over their thorax would also die. But there was relief to my worries, also. Honey bees walking on mineral oil smeared on the top bars of the frames did not die. More importantly, it was observed that the bees began to comb themselves as soon as they walked on the smears. This observation was very fortunate because it helped me visualize how the bees would transfer the oil to their bodies and hence to the mites. My original question of finding a safe and cost effective means of application led to seven years of continuous and tedious, but successful research, in this quest. My largest obstacles during these years have been proving how the oil works on the mites and finding financial support since implementation of this system of treatment is not one that will promote wealth for promoters. On the contrary, financial support has been available in abundance for commercial products to which the mites continue to develop resistance or worse yet, some of which have been found to end up in the honey as contaminants. To my great satisfaction, laboratory tests of honey from hives treated with nothing but mineral oil for the last three years have yielded negative results for oil residues.

The answer to my second question was developed slowly through practical work and literary research. I learned that mites, like honey bees, breathe through spiracles and that their bodies are covered with pores through which they obtain moisture. It occurred to me that FGMO might be effective against the mites by depriving them of their physical needs. By blocking the spiracles of the mites, they would be deprived of air and would choke to death. By blocking their body pores, they would be deprived of some of their moisture needed for their body functions. Because of their differential in body ratios, honey bees can breathe the mineral oil and not be affected, while it blocks the spiracles of the mites. This factor turned out to be highly beneficial, a bonus, one might say. During the course of my research, it has been revealed that the oil applied in fog form is inhaled by the bees, effectively killing tracheal mites in the bees' respiratory system. Continuous dissections of honey bees from hives treated with FGMO have revealed complete absence of tracheal mites in these hives. Also, during the course of my research, I have found that mineral oil applied in the form of fog is deposited over the body surface of the bees effectively, providing a film of oil which interferes with the ability of the mites to cling to the bodies of the bees. Incorporation of screened bottom boards (lined with sticky paper traps) to hives treated with FGMO contribute to reduced mite counts by preventing mites from crawling back into the hive population.

The road to success during all these years has not been all roses and glory. Of special interest has been discovering why hives that showed few if any mites during the early months of the season would suddenly jump to very high mite drop counts and high incidence of phoretic mites in late July and August. I knew from experience that bees naturally rob their neighbors when weak or ill. It occurred to me that I needed to find an explanation for this sudden rise in mites and furthermore to develop a technique to test it. I bought five small vials of automobile touch-up paint and started placing tiny specks of paint on the wings of my bees in healthy colonies. Late that day and the days after, I noticed what looked like a rainbow of colors in test (untreated) colonies. Eureka, here was the source of the sudden upsurge in mite populations in the treated hives. The pilfering bees were not only robbing the honey of the sick hives, but they were also bringing home a different load - mites. This assumption was tested as true in recent years by merely altering the sequence of treatments in test hives, especially this year as shown in the figures in Table 1.

TABLE 1.
Owner	Location	Number of hives		Honey Yield
		Test	Control	Kg/hive
Pedro Rodriguez(1)	Budia, Guadalajara, Spain	5	1	20
Juan M. Chimeno(2)	Palacios de Sanabria, Zalamanca, Spain	380	20	70
Julian Chimeno(3)	Villanueva de Argecilla, Guadalajara, Spain	125	10	40
Treatment and frequency.
(1) fogger once a month and 2 (8mm (5/16 in.) x 101.6 cm (40 in.)) emulsion-soaked cords. The number of cords was increased periodically, ending up with 6 cords in the month of August and September when the mite population increased as explained in the text.
(2) fogger and cords every 21 days.
(3) fogger once every five days.

Observations

Food grade mineral oil appears to be an effective substance for the treatment of honey bee mites. Cost effectiveness continues to be debated by those who support, as well as by those who oppose the use of FGMO as an effective measure for the treatment of honey bee mites. As explained by the beekeeper, who obtained a yield of 70 kg/hive using FGMO as the only means of mite control, the high yield justifies him visiting his bee yard once a week. To him, use of stand-alone FGMO treatment is the most cost-effective measure he has ever tried. In my experience, I find that the use of FGMO emulsion soaked cords and FGMO fogging are complementary to each other if the beekeeper wishes to reduce his number of visits to the bee yard. Obviously, combinations of the two can be tested individually and used to suit personal observations.

FGMO emulsion: ingredients and preparation. The original formula (40/60 % sugar/FGMO) has been changed to introduce improvements in formulation and preparation. The introduction of honey to the formula provides an excellent lure for the bees to feed on it and the introduction of beeswax simplifies the preparation of the emulsion. The emulsion can be homemade, thus eliminating high-cost industrial emulsions. Cords have been changed to a larger size to allow more absorption in order to provide a greater quantity of FGMO delivery, hoping that it may reduce the number of times that it may have to be replaced, hence reducing labor and costs. The cord used at present is not removed by the bees, as happened with the original cord. If removed before it is propolized, we have found that the cord can be used again, introducing another form of cost reduction.

FGMO Emulsion formula and Preparation Instructions.
Ingredients	Preparation
One liter food grade mineral oil, 0.86 density (34 fl. oz.)	Heat mineral oil to a boil in a metal or ceramic container. Add beeswax and stir until it melts. Remove from heat source, add cords, stir and allow to cool. Upon cooling, cords will be ready to place in hives.
One half liter honey (17 fl. oz.)
One half kilo beeswax (1 lb.)
90 (8mm x 101.6 cm)(5/16" x 40") cotton cords

Several types of cordage were tested in the initial trials. It was found that cotton cordage was the most suitable for the purpose. Some of the cords, especially jute, were chewed by the bees into fine particles, ending up in the honey as contaminants. On the contrary, this was not found when cotton cords were used, hence the recommendation to utilize only cotton cords.