I was watching "Ghosts in the Hive" on YouTube and it got me thinking. http://youtu.be/fE4emUMyOWs At about the 33 minute mark, Ricarda Kather demonstrates how the Varroa mite uses a passive transfer of oils from a lipid layer on bees to itself in order to basically make itself invisible in the hive. This immediately brought to mind a thread on B.S. by Glock on the use of mineral oil and how it works for a time but then seems to diminish in effectiveness after multiple uses. http://www.beesource.com/forums/sho...ted-fogging-today&highlight=Glock+mineral+oil
Hypothesis:
I'm thinking that when mineral oil (MO) is fogged into a hive it doesn't cause mites to drop off because it's slippery, but that it is absorbed passively into the carapace of the mite, thus making it visible to the bees. Once the (MO) dissipates any mites that are not locked down on a bee are discovered and removed by grooming. This may explain why it doesn't give 100% kill rates like an insecticide because only those mites which are between hosts or not clinging on well enough are dislodged from their hosts.
So why does it lose it's effectiveness? It could be that the bees become habituated to the (MO) odor and no longer consider the mite a menace but just another particle in the hive.
Solution:
Develop a regimen of different oils to fog in rotation. At least 4 different oils, 1 application of only 1 type of oil per week, for 4 weeks. As an example:
1st week (MO)
2nd week Canola oil
3rd week Saffron oil
4th week Corn oil
Not having experience I don't know if the vegetable oils will work it is just an example. There must be other oils out there that can be fogged and are food grade or nontoxic. By changing the frequency of oils it will reduce the incidence of habituation by the bees and thus promote hygienic behavior and make detection more likely while the mite is changing hosts. Also any new brood hatching out will not be exposed as often or only once to any given oil if fogging is done twice per year thus making it more likely for nurse bees to detect mites. Even if a mite does manage to make it into a cell it could be detected because it will carry the oil odor it absorbed before entering the cell. This will permit the bees to remove it from the cell or dispatch it when it emerges with the new bee preventing it from breeding again. The mites will most likely not or seldom develop resistance because the method they use for cloaking is passive.
I'm sure there are holes in my hypothesis you could drive a truck through, but I thought I would put it out there for discussion in case someone can elaborate on it and help us be rid of the Varroa scourge.
Colino
Hypothesis:
I'm thinking that when mineral oil (MO) is fogged into a hive it doesn't cause mites to drop off because it's slippery, but that it is absorbed passively into the carapace of the mite, thus making it visible to the bees. Once the (MO) dissipates any mites that are not locked down on a bee are discovered and removed by grooming. This may explain why it doesn't give 100% kill rates like an insecticide because only those mites which are between hosts or not clinging on well enough are dislodged from their hosts.
So why does it lose it's effectiveness? It could be that the bees become habituated to the (MO) odor and no longer consider the mite a menace but just another particle in the hive.
Solution:
Develop a regimen of different oils to fog in rotation. At least 4 different oils, 1 application of only 1 type of oil per week, for 4 weeks. As an example:
1st week (MO)
2nd week Canola oil
3rd week Saffron oil
4th week Corn oil
Not having experience I don't know if the vegetable oils will work it is just an example. There must be other oils out there that can be fogged and are food grade or nontoxic. By changing the frequency of oils it will reduce the incidence of habituation by the bees and thus promote hygienic behavior and make detection more likely while the mite is changing hosts. Also any new brood hatching out will not be exposed as often or only once to any given oil if fogging is done twice per year thus making it more likely for nurse bees to detect mites. Even if a mite does manage to make it into a cell it could be detected because it will carry the oil odor it absorbed before entering the cell. This will permit the bees to remove it from the cell or dispatch it when it emerges with the new bee preventing it from breeding again. The mites will most likely not or seldom develop resistance because the method they use for cloaking is passive.
I'm sure there are holes in my hypothesis you could drive a truck through, but I thought I would put it out there for discussion in case someone can elaborate on it and help us be rid of the Varroa scourge.
Colino
