Plants that may help with mites

Joe D · January 19, 2013, 01:50:57 AM

I was looking at a chart the other day, Jeanette had posted, on amount of nectar and pollen from some plants. In the chart it said that Varroa mites did not like the smell of Lavender or Coriander and could help the bees in ridding themselves of the mites. Has anyone tried or heard of this working. Would be great if it did. Just checking.

Joe

edward · January 19, 2013, 03:17:26 AM

Quote from: Joe D on January 19, 2013, 01:50:57 AMIn the chart it said that Varroa mites did not like the smell of Lavender or Coriander and could help the bees in ridding themselves of the mites.

How does it help them? How does the smell get rid of the mites?

mvh edward :-P

Finski · January 21, 2013, 05:35:42 PM

.

fairytales

Joe D · January 21, 2013, 08:50:25 PM

Figured that, just wandering.

Joe

Sparky · January 21, 2013, 09:13:07 PM

One plant that might have some desirable traits for the control of mites is when they forage on hops.

edward · January 21, 2013, 09:24:49 PM

WHY ?

bossqwjw · January 25, 2013, 09:34:47 AM

Mites don't like bitter beer. :laugh:

markwell · January 25, 2013, 10:10:29 AM

I do not think we should take this so lightly. There are effects of plants on bees.

Michael Bush · January 25, 2013, 10:13:22 AM

I do not think it will help with mites at all. But it won't hurt anything if you want to grow a variety of things the bees might like.

Joe D · January 25, 2013, 11:41:52 AM

Thanks for all the replys.

Joe

Jeanette · January 28, 2013, 02:16:26 AM

The impact of lavender and other plants on mites is certainly debatable.

The only scientific study I could find to support the idea was published in 2004. http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?pid=S0365-28072004000300003&script=sci_abstract&tlng=en They found that although their lavender oil treatment removed the mites, it only killed about 35% of them.

David Cushman wrote about a preliminary study into essential oils over a decade ago http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/naturaloils.html but there was no link to the final results.

Randy Oliver has an article about essential oils at http://scientificbeekeeping.com/ipm-7-the-arsenal-natural-treatments-part-2/ but it seems to focus primarily on the extract from garden thyme which is used in commercial mite control products.

Joe D · January 28, 2013, 10:52:18 AM

Jeanette, I would like to thank you for the info you have provided. Your post before on the lavender has me thinking about planting some and some coriander to see if it would help.

Joe

Jeanette · February 01, 2013, 10:08:41 PM

Just a follow-up ...

I asked a thyme-honey beekeeper about mites vs thyme (because the essential oil of thyme is used in some commercial mite control products). He said that his bees were generally quite healthy after foraging on thyme plants, but that he still had to treat for mites. The reason he gave was because the beneficial essential oil was in the thyme leaves rather than in the nectar.

Sparky · February 02, 2013, 03:43:30 PM

Quote from: Jeanette on February 01, 2013, 10:08:41 PM
Just a follow-up ...

I asked a thyme-honey beekeeper about mites vs thyme (because the essential oil of thyme is used in some commercial mite control products). He said that his bees were generally quite healthy after foraging on thyme plants, but that he still had to treat for mites. The reason he gave was because the beneficial essential oil was in the thyme leaves rather than in the nectar.

This is more than likely the case of the hop plants also but some claims have been made of people that have these type of crops to forage pollen from that the numbers seem to be reduced. I would like to see more proof of this claim.

bossqwjw · February 05, 2013, 11:05:20 PM

In one of the fat bee mans videos he said he has heard reports of beeks that planted thyme under and around tbeir hive had less mites and pests. Supposedly because of the vapors from the thyme.

edward · February 06, 2013, 06:21:49 AM

Quote from: bossqwjw on February 05, 2013, 11:05:20 PMIn one of the fat bee mans videos he said he has heard reports of beeks that planted thyme under and around tbeir hive had less mites and pests. Supposedly because of the vapors from the thyme.

How do these vapors effect the hive and the amount of varoa mites on the bees?

mvh edward :-P

BeeMaster2 · February 06, 2013, 06:29:13 AM

It might be that thyme only affects the forage bees as they are collecting the nectar. They might drop off. This doesn't help remove mites in the hive.
Jim

edward · February 06, 2013, 07:32:31 AM

Quote from: sawdstmakr on February 06, 2013, 06:29:13 AMThey might drop off

How or why might this happen?

mvh edward :-P

BeeMaster2 · February 06, 2013, 08:07:02 PM

Due to the strong smelling oils in. The mites might react to it like the bee react to bee quick.
Jim

edward · February 06, 2013, 08:18:06 PM

I'm sceptical :roll: