Using Spearmint and Lemongrass to Protect Bees from Mites that Threaten Hives

Chances are, you've never given much thought to the importance of bees in our lives.  The simple fact is: As long as we need food to eat that is grown — not manufactured — bees will play a critical roll in everything we eat.  And, if you're a carnivore, in everything what we eat eats. 

Why?

Because everything that grows from seed requires pollination; and, the principle pollinators on this planet are bees.  Their roll in the production of food is so great that there is a whole industry in bees: those who — essentially — breed bees, and those who buy these bees to truck around from farm-to-farm, to pollinate the crops.  Farmers are willing to pay big bucks (as much as $250,000) for this service.

Yet, that critical link in the chain of our food supply is facing a serious threat from a mystery known as hive death.

The mystery of hive death

Essentially, hive death is — as the name suggests — the cessation of life and activity in the bee hive.  This isn't just a reduction of activity; it's a total collapse, where even the queen bee is no longer present.  One day, there is a seemingly thriving hive; the next, all the bees are gone — without a trace.  There aren't even dead bees around to give a clue as to what happened.

A number of theories have been floated as to why this is happening.  One of those theories — which seems to have some supporting evidence — has to do with mites.  The following is adapted from the Science Daily article, Using Spearmint and Lemongrass to Protect Bees From Mites That Threaten Hives (© 1995-2007 ScienceDaily LLC  ­  All rights reserved).

Research into Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD)

Professor James Amrine, one of the authors of what many feel is the defining mite guide ("Revised Keys to the World Genera of Eriophyoidea" [Acari: Prostigmata]), is engaged in an ongoing research project at West Virginia University, looking for a way to aid the honeybees' declining populations, from what scientists are calling Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).  CCD has been an ongoing problem, but it escalated in November 2006, and now seems to have spread to 27 states, as well as into Canada, Brazil and many parts of Europe.

The seriousness of this problem is easy to understand: According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, about one-third of the human diet comes from insect-pollinated plants, and the honeybee is responsible for 80% of that pollination.  If they are not present in high enough numbers to affect this pollination, there will be shortages in many fruits, nuts and vegetables, including apples, peaches, cherries, broccoli and squash.  And, since there would be no alfalfa without the pollination from bees, a reduction in the bee population could potentially create shortages in the beef industry.

Scientists around the country are investigating possible causes of CCD.  Among the things being looked into are synthetic chemical pesticides, viruses and genetically modified crops.  There is even research being conducted into the possible effects of cell phones and other EMF radiation.  But Professor Amrine, one of the nation's foremost acarologists (mite specialist), feels certain that, based on the research he has been doing since 1996, at least 70% of CCD is caused by tiny mites and the pathogens they carry.

Finding a solution to CCD

Professor Amrine, working in conjunction with Bob Noel, a beekeeper from western Maryland, has developed an all-natural protocol to kill of the mites, without harming the bee colony.  An article on this approach to saving the hives was published in the June 1, 2007 issue of the International Journal of Acarology.  This protocol is in three parts:

1) Treating the hives with two essential oils: spearmint and lemongrass, (constituents of Honey-B-Healthy™, a product now marketed by Noel).

As Professor Amrine points out, "African people used lemongrass to manage honeybees for the last 60,000 [?] years. They deserve the original credit for that.  We mix it with spearmint, and it helps the bees resist the pathogens the mites carry, by possibly boosting the bees' immune systems."

He notes that, by treating the honeybees with Honey-B-Healthy™, within 21 days, they see improvement.

2) Placing patties, made of a special mixture of wintergreen and grease, into the hives.  (The grease is mixed with sugar, mineral salt, honey and wintergreen.)

Professor Amrine says that this step has the dual action of combating the pathogens directly and improves the health of the bees.  "It doesn't kill bacteria, but it stops their growth.  Also, the grease gets on the bees and makes it harder for the mites to try to hitch a ride."

3) Soaking pads with a formic acid formula and placing them into the hives.  The pads trap the heat from "the brood", as Professor Amrine calls them, and causes the formic acid to evaporate, holding the vapor inside the nest.  "It kills 93% of the mites inside the hive, in a one-day treatment."

Professor Amrine points out that small amounts of formic acid is present in the honey already.

In working with beekeepers in Florida, he achieved at least a 93% kill-rate of mites. "The beekeepers were amazed to see how well this worked," he said.  "They've been fighting the mites and CCD for the past several years."

Note: The original story, as it appeared in Science Daily, whas adapted from a news release issued by University Of West Virginia.

Acknowledgement: I'd like to thank Janet Michel for passing this article on to me.