# Essential oils for mite control?



## alpha6 (May 12, 2008)

I buy mine at the nature store (organic/heath food store). I think they are labeled for aromatherapy but I guess you could cook with it. Here is a link to what I use. This works great as a mite control of your bees.

http://www.herbalremedies.com/thymoil100pu.html


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## ACBEES (Mar 13, 2009)

there is a company that adverstises in the American Bee Journal, LorAnn oils Inc. 800-248-1302. They deal in pure essential oils and sell to beekeepers. When buying essential oils you have to make sure they are pure and not diluted. They have an ad in the October 2009 ABJ, page 974


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## BeeCurious (Aug 7, 2007)

Here is a link to LorAnn Oils:

https://www.lorannoils.com/c-183-essential-oils.aspx


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## Dave W (Aug 3, 2002)

One of my "rules" of beekeeping:

Is it food safe, will it harm my bees?

Not all essential oils are food-grade. Do you want to eat anything that's not? 

>purity levels . . . 
>actual strength of the oil . . . 
>adverse effects . . .
>effectiveness . . . 
>how much to use . . .
>how often . . . 
>ect... 

All are very good questions.
And, I might add, are they legal to use for mite treatment (NO!)


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## Delta Bay (Dec 4, 2009)

Good info Craig gives to consider before buying EO
Some interesting podcasts to listen to also.

http://somdbeekeeper.com/



> There are a lot of people experimenting with essential oils and some amazing results are being reported. One thing to remember though, there are different grades of essential oils and not all are meant for consumption!
> There is the so called, “Grade A” which is reported to be of therapeutic quality and usually made from organically grown plants, distilled at the proper temperatures and done by steam distillation. This oil is very expensive. Then there is the so called, “Grade B” which is said to be plainly “food grade.” It can contain synthetics, pesticides, fertilizers, chemical/synthetic extenders or carrier oils etc. Seems to me with all the potential for those foreign substances to be present it would hardy be proper to allow this to be called “food grade” but that’s the world we live in!
> Finally we have the so called, “Grade C” which are perfume grade oils not really meant for consumption. They can contain all of the same adulterating substances potentially found in “Grade B” plus they usually contain solvents which are used to gain a higher yield of oil per harvest. I have read that these solvents can cause cancer if ingested by humans. I have no idea (I’m not even going to speculate) how these solvents would effect honeybees if they ate it. The best case is nothing and the worst case is the death of the bee that ate it I suppose.
> I mention this because you may want to consider researching any essential oils that you are going to purchase and use in your hives, especially if you’re using it as an additive to feed them as opposed to diffusing it in the air. Also, be aware that the more “pure” (closer to Grade A) the oil, the higher the price. This is just another one of those little decisions you may be faced with, pay more and sleep better or go cheap and roll the dice!


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## Omie (Nov 10, 2009)

Also, do not confuse 'pure extracts' with 'pure essential oils'. Extracts (such as peppermint extract, wintergreen, lemon, cinnamon, vanilla, etc) are often sold for cooking/flavoring purposes and contain alcohol and other ingredients, plus their flavor may be totally artificial- definitely not to be used for your bees!


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## BeeCurious (Aug 7, 2007)

Is this the link?
http://somdbeekeeper.com/


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## Delta Bay (Dec 4, 2009)

Yes! Thanks I've fixed the link.


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## BEES4U (Oct 10, 2007)

Here's a source that I use:
GloryBee Foods

http://www.glorybeefoods.com/gbf/Shop_ProductDetail.cfm?PC=6&PSC=0&P=14336&Product_Name=essential oil, lemongrass&Token=207.200.116.10:{ts_2009-12-22_08:48:12}-477339

essential oil, lemongrass
Item Number: 13170 

Price: $25.25

Package Size: 16 fl oz.
Product Description: Lemongrass - cymbopogon citratus (steam distilled from leaves) fresh, grassy, citrus scent. Antidepressant, antioxidant, astringent, bactericidal, deodorant, fungicidal, sedative. 100% pure, undiluted oils.

Regards,
Ernie


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## alpha6 (May 12, 2008)

Dave W said:


> One of my "rules" of beekeeping:
> 
> Is it food safe, will it harm my bees?
> 
> ...


Is thymol legal for mite treatment? Yes it is. Please get your facts straight. Please show where it is not legal and as a matter of fact, Apiguards active ingredient is thymol and numerous studies done both in the US and Europe show thymol to be effective in mite control. I am constantly amazed how people will make things up with no facts to back them up and post them as fact. :scratch:


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## BeeCurious (Aug 7, 2007)

*Cymbopogon flexuosus or C. citratus*

Does anyone know what the difference is between "_Cymbopogon flexuosus" and _"Cymbopogon citratus"?


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## KQ6AR (May 13, 2008)

I think they are just 2 different varieties of the plant. The stuff I bought was red Thyme oil. I don't know if one is better than the other.


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## Hambone (Mar 17, 2008)

*Re: Cymbopogon flexuosus or C. citratus*



BeeCurious said:


> Does anyone know what the difference is between "_Cymbopogon flexuosus" and _"Cymbopogon citratus"?


Take this with a grain of salt. But I think the only difference is the region it's grown/found. East vs West. East India and West India. Though I don't think there is a difference in the two. Again I could be wrong. It's been a while since I read about the two. I will look it up again and refresh us on it.

KQ6AR,

I think Beecurious is talking about Lemon Grass Oil.


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## honeydreams (Aug 10, 2009)

Best I found Is Honey Bee Heathy mixed just right my bees love it and the guys who make it spent years in R&D with mite control.


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## G B (Nov 6, 2009)

I have an old Beek that is training me, He swears by FGMO, does any one hear have any experience using both thyme oil and FGMO ? Is this a good or bad combination thanks in advance.


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## BEES4U (Oct 10, 2007)

does any one hear have any experience using both thyme oil and FGMO ?
Yes, FGMO
I know a man who lost13 colonies!
I introduced him to Apiguard and he's back into beekeeping.
Ernie


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## Delta Bay (Dec 4, 2009)

> Is thymol legal for mite treatment? Yes it is.


In Canada, only when it is in an approved produced.


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## brooksbeefarm (Apr 13, 2008)

G B said:


> I have an old Beek that is training me, He swears by FGMO, does any one hear have any experience using both thyme oil and FGMO ? Is this a good or bad combination thanks in advance.


It would probably work if you got the right amount of thyme oil mixed in? and that's the problem i've had (but not with FGMO) if you get to much thyme oil in your mix you can drive the bees out of the hive, so go slow. Jack


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## Dave W (Aug 3, 2002)

If we consider the original question, "are EOs the same as for cooking/baking", I do not see a problem w/ my answer.

However, your "ideas" are not exactly clear
>Is thymol legal for mite treatment . . .
Not if you are using a homemade recipe! Is it? 

>Apiguards active ingredient is thymol . . .
The question was not about Apiguard. Was it?

>US and Europe show thymol to be effective in mite control . . .
These studies do NOT use something "cooked up" w/ a "cooking/baking" type of EO.

I am constantly amazed how people will make things up . . . 
Unfortunately, that's pretty common here.

Anytime you think I'm wrong, PLEASE just say so.


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## Nabber86 (Apr 15, 2009)

You can get pure EO from a number of sources on the net. I like Ozark Herbals: http://www.ozarkherbals.com/eoils.html and use their products for soap and candels. Any reputable source will tell you what the purity is and back that up with lab testing to confirm (you may have dig a little to get the info). 

Anything can be "Food Grade", as long as it is tested safe for use in food by the Food and Drug Administration and meets standards set for human consumption. It doesnt really have anything to do with purity (artificial lemon flavoring disolved in ethyl alcohol is "Food Grade" and can be purchased at any grocery store). 

An EO supplier is not going to get a "Food Grade" rating because it would cost too much money. Then there is the product liability thing (hence "not for human consumption" lables). Also considering that many pure EOs are irritants, caustic or, even carcinogenic if ingested full strength leads to other problems.


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## camero7 (Sep 21, 2009)

You should look at the following study:
http://www.sare.org/reporting/report_viewer.asp?pn=FNE08-641&ry=2009&rf=0


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## shadetreebeeman (Dec 4, 2009)

If you trust youre locale supplyer they can help you with what you need.I use lemongrass and wintergreen oils.I use 1 TBL spoon ea to 1 small bottle of veg oil on 1 roll of Bounty paper towels 1 towel placed on top of brood spring and fall before and after honeyflow.My supplyer is Simpsons Bee Supply www.simpsonsbeesupply,com.Pickup price is 10 bucks for 4oz for me.


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## beeking1 (Jan 22, 2010)

Shadetree et al,
I tried to post this on another thread but for some reason, the software went kaput, so here's an abbreviated retry:

First, essential oils are the substance itself. If you read any label, you can find what's in the bottle. For instance, spearmint oil is an essential oil and the bottle should read "100% spearmint oil" The same for lemongrass oil e.g. "100% lemongrass oil." However, some substances e.g. jasmine are too powerful or intoxicating as a 100% oil. Jasmine is mixed with a carrier oil e.g. jojoba oil to dilute it so you can afford it and a little jasmine goes a long way....I am not advocating jasmine for your bees. I was just using it for an example.

Another beekeeper in another thread spoke of using wintergreen in syrup for feeding bees. I have not had any experience with wintergreen in *sugar syrups* for feeding bees . I have seen some people call it a "mint" which it is not. It is methyl salicylate which is a precursor to common aspirin. Wintergreen for humans is placed in carrier oil for human use not human consumption. It is found in concentrations from 10-25% for topical use, although you can find it in other things for respiratory use. N.B. people allergic to aspirin should not use wintergreen or come in contact with wintergreen.

HoneyBeeHealthy has spearmint and lemongrass in concentrations unknown to me. The oils are emulsifed with lecithin and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). Some people don't like SLS because they want organic or natural and therefore mix their own recipes. You can find SLS in toothpastes for humans, not bees. :s

Nozevit is a "water, oak bark extract" advertised as "All Natural" and its made in Croatia. Just thot I would throw that in for comparison because I don't think you can consider "oak bark extract" an essential oil; the extract may contain a mixture of essential oils but I don't know what these are.

When mixing your own, a little usually goes a long way. Another principle is that just because something is advertised in aroma therapy bottles as "Activating" or "Enhances Memory" for humans doesn't mean it's good for your bees. :doh:

If you're a purist, ask whether something is "food grade." Food grade does not mean it's good for your bees; organic MIGHT be the same issue. Just because something is ORGANIC does not mean it's good for your bees.

Btw, if you're bees are VEGAN, you should not use lecithin made from egg yolks :lpf:


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## Claressa (Oct 1, 2009)

Anecdote from an almost-second year beekeeper: I used wintergreen oil (first emulsified with hot water and soy lecithin) in the sugar syrup for both hives this year along with powdered sugar shakes every 10-14 days. My varroa counts ended the season a third of the level they came with as packages. I plan to continue the practice this year. It might not have helped but it certainly did no discernable harm either.


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## alpha6 (May 12, 2008)

Dave W said:


> Anytime you think I'm wrong, PLEASE just say so.


Yeah, you are wrong on every count.


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## dickm (May 19, 2002)

For more, see "Anecdotal Evidence," Posted on this site under "point of view." It's a write-up of FatBeeman who is active on this board, that I did a few years ago for Bee Culture. How about it Don. You reading this?

dickm


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## G B (Nov 6, 2009)

I checked with glory bee foods today, they sell white thyme oil is that the same thing a thyme oil thats used for bees?
I have not read any posts about white versus anything else. It is steam distilled and food grade. The local store has NOW oils but glory bee has much better prices. Can some one tell me if there is any difference or are these the same thing. thanks George B


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## Omie (Nov 10, 2009)

dickm said:


> For more, see "Anecdotal Evidence," Posted on this site under "point of view." It's a write-up of FatBeeman who is active on this board, that I did a few years ago for Bee Culture. How about it Don. You reading this?
> 
> dickm


Can you help me find that post here? Thanks!


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## Hambone (Mar 17, 2008)

Click on Beekeeping Home the pov's are on the left side. 

Here is the one you are looking for.

http://www.beesource.com/point-of-view/dick-marron/anecdotal-evidence/


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## Omie (Nov 10, 2009)

Hambone said:


> Here is the one you are looking for.
> http://www.beesource.com/point-of-view/dick-marron/anecdotal-evidence/


Thank you. 
...and can't wait for my Spring bees to arrive from Don in a couple of months!


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