Thymol treatment recipe
Ingredients
- 3.5 Oz. Thymol crystals (handle with care - avoid skin contact)
- 7 Oz. Crisco or other solid pure vegetable fat (no additives, preservatives or emulsifiers)
- 24.7 Oz. Superfine or Regular Sugar (Not confectioners)
(sufficient for about 12 colonies)
Instructions
Melt the Crisco in a saucepan and allow it to cool until warm to the touch. Put the sugar into a plastic container and thoroughly mix in the Thymol crystals until all lumps are broken down. Add the sugar/Thymol mixture to the melted Crisco and mix thoroughly until the mixture is the consistency of a paste. If well sealed the mixture may be stored in the bottom of a refrigerator for up to 12 months.
Usage
On a piece of grease-proof paper about 2" square spread about a teaspoon of the mixture so that it is about 1/4" thick and place on top of the brood frames. You can also use any lid with a lip from a food storage container as a tray. The inner cover should allow a bee space above the paste. All ventilation should be closed except a 3/8" wide entrance. Refresh the mixture very two weeks until the drop falls below 2-3 mites per week.
The ambient temperature needs to be above about 59°F unless the hive is insulated. Expanded polystyrene works well (about 3/4" thick) and can be left on all winter.
Note: do not apply the Thymol treatement when supers are still on or at least during main nectar flow. It is also advisable to remove excess winter stores in the spring before the bees transfer it into the supers.
Here is another recipe also.
Here is another recipe also.
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