permaculture

[LINDARAY@att.net]

Larry, 

I was told years ago by a very elderly (In his 90s) lifelong FL beekeeper 
that Wintergreen at the hive door will get rid of (As I recall he said it 
would kill, but unfortunately I don't remember now for sure) the Varroa Mite. 
He told me that the mites would not be a problem if beekeepers would do this. 
I do not remember if he was talking about Wintergreen Essential Oil or 
Wintergreen plant material or Wintergreen tea laying in a dish. Seems to me 
the fresh plant might be the thing to try at a hive entrance.

I vaguely remember him saying something about 'the bees have to walk over the 
wintergreen' and it gets rid of the mites. It was as if the bees *had* to 
walk over the wintergreen to get into the hive. I seem to remember him saying 
that the mites would be gone not too long after. He also said that the bees 
'liked' the wintergreen, it was like they couldn't get enough of it or would 
congregate at it or something. Then awhile later, the mites would be gone.

Beekeepers with a Varroa problem may wish to test this. Certainly the Varroa 
will kill bees, maybe the Wintergreen won't.

I do not know if this will work or not from firsthand experience since I am 
not a beekeeper, but I am passing this on to the list in case it helps 
someone- If someone does try it and it helps, please feed back to the List.

Until I joined this list, I did not realize how little communication 
apparently exists within the beekeeping community. 

Regards,

Linda Ray



-------------- Original message from "Lawrence F. London, Jr." 
<lfl@intrex.net>: -------------- 


> 
> 
> 
> AP 
> Destructive mite threatens Hawaii bees 
> 
> By TARA GODVIN, Associated Press Writer Thu Apr 26, 4:24 AM ET 
> 
> HONOLULU - A tiny mite that has devastated mainland honeybee populations 
> showed 
> up in Honolulu hives for the first time 
> this month and has now been confirmed in bee colonies across Oahu. 
> 
> The infestation by varroa mites has led the state to ask beekeepers to 
> restrict 
> transport of bees around the islands. 
> There are concerns it could threaten the Big Island's thriving queen bee 
> export 
> industry, which has so far tested free 
> of the mites. 
> 
> "This is going to be for us a nightmare," said Michael Kliks, head of the 
> Hawaii 
> Beekeepers' Association and owner of 
> Manoa Honey Co. "When I saw that mite I knew exactly what it was. I knew 
> exactly 
> what it meant and I fell to my knees 
> and almost began to weep because it's inexpressible what that sea change is 
> for 
> us in Hawaii." 
> 
> The parasites are blamed for destroying more than half of some mainland 
> beekeepers' hives and wiping out most wild 
> honeybees there. 
> 
> Kliks discovered the mites April 6 on a pupa contained in an abandoned hive 
> he 
> recovered from the Makiki section of 
> Honolulu and immediately notified state agriculture officials. 
> 
> Since then the mites have been confirmed in hives in Waimanalo, Ewa, Kunia, 
> Kahaluu and Punaluu. 
> 
> Hives are still being checked elsewhere on Oahu but it is too late to hope 
> to 
> eradicate or even contain the infestation, 
> Kliks said. 
> 
> "The only thing we can try and do is keep the levels of infestation in our 
> managed colonies below what's called the 
> threshold level ... so that we can still produce honey. But keeping it at 
> that 
> level will certainly require quite 
> regular, heavy application of permitted pesticides," he said. 
> 
> That may mean the end of certified organic honey production on the island. 
> 
> The appearance of the mites could also hurt island crops that depend on 
> wild 
> bees for pollination, such as coffee, 
> macadamia nuts and pumpkins, Kliks said. 
> 
> Originally from Asia, varroa mites were first discovered in Wisconsin and 
> Florida in 1987. By the next year, the mites 
> were found in 12 states and have since spread throughout the continental 
> U.S. 
> 
> The pinhead-sized insects, which are spread through contact between bees, 
> feed 
> off the blood of honeybee adults, larvae 
> and pupae. 
> 
> Bees cannot legally be imported into Hawaii, and officials do not know how 
> the 
> mites made it to the state. 
> 
> Beekeepers are being asked not to move their bees between islands or even 
> within 
> the same island. Once authorities have 
> confirmed where the mites have spread, they can then work on a possible 
> quarantine for bees throughout the state, said 
> Janelle Saneishi, spokeswoman for the state 
> Department of Agriculture. 
> 
> "But you know a bee flies. So that's the wild card," she said. 
> 
> ____ 
> 
> On the Net: 
> 
> Hawaii Beekeepers' Association: http://www.hawaiibeekeepers.org/index.php 
> 
> Hawaii Department of Agriculture: http://www.hawaii.gov/hdoa 
> 
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