# Use of essential oils?



## feltze (May 15, 2010)

IS the use of essential oils acceptable as "biological" beekeeping or do you consider that a chemical?

What Essential Oils are recommended and how are they typically used?

I had found a site with a recipe for HBH which included sugar water, Spearmint oil, lemongrass oil, and lecithin. Now I can't find that recipe on line... arghh. Does anyone have good home recipes for this stuff and a tried and true means of use? 

Eric


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## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

Yes, I consider it a chemical and not part of biological beekeeping. Unless the bees bring it in themselves, the beekeeper doesn't put it in. If you want to discuss EO, that needs to be done in a different forum. Thanks.


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## Omie (Nov 10, 2009)

Barry said:


> Yes, I consider it a chemical and not part of biological beekeeping. Unless the bees bring it in themselves, the beekeeper doesn't put it in. If you want to discuss EO, that needs to be done in a different forum. Thanks.


So, that would include sugar shakes, pollen patties and sugar syrup feeding as well then, correct?


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## alpha6 (May 12, 2008)

Barry said:


> Yes, I consider it a chemical and not part of biological beekeeping. Unless the bees bring it in themselves, the beekeeper doesn't put it in. If you want to discuss EO, that needs to be done in a different forum. Thanks.


I would disagree that EO's are chemicals. EO's are allowed as part of organic certification and are in fact bought in by the bees when they work lemongrass, spearmint or thyme plants. As far as discussing in another forum, well Barry's the boss so it should be moved under a different forum if he says so.


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## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

The goal of this forum is to promote treatment free beekeeping. No matter what the substance is, if you are putting it in a hive, you're treating. I don't like the term organic due to how it's defined and used today, but this is basically an organic forum. Sure EO's come into the hive, by the bees. I don't mind the discussion of treatments as long as it is part of a plan in getting completely off treatments. No general discussion of treatments here.


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## feltze (May 15, 2010)

Thanks Barry, I'll move my EO question to a different venu. I thought that the EO's would have been considered organic, considered how they are derrived.

I Shall humbly move to another pearch, and search a bit before I post again.

Thanks

BTW this is a very informative forum... Thanks for the insights


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## deknow (Jul 17, 2006)

alpha6 said:


> I would disagree that EO's are chemicals. EO's ...are in in fact bought in by the bees when they work lemongrass, spearmint or thyme plants.


errr, the levels the bees are exposed to via foraging are orders and orders of magnitude below what a beekeeper would put in the hive. being a "chemical" is irrelevant...everything is a chemical. every cell in your body produces hydrogen peroxide every second of every day (a byproduct of cellular respiration)...yet, drinking the stuff is not good for you.

on another note, we heard maryann and jim frazier give a talk at the backyard beekeepers (CT) last week. apparently, they have found that thymol increases the permiability of the bees cuticle ("skin") to other pesticides. they still promote some of  the "soft treatments" (which i don't agree with), but they have taken thymol off the table as a reasonable treatment.

deknow


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