Poly and thymol

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johnandyrob

Field Bee
Joined
Nov 28, 2009
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Location
Co. Durham
Hive Type
Langstroth
Number of Hives
18
Hi having just moved over to poly this year could some one please enlighten me on the uses of thymol products and poly.
 
advice from chem laif via hannah at MB is that ALV is fine - just leave the foil packet between tablet and hive roof. However damage is only cosmetic anyway apparently.

that's what i've done with my HM recipe mix - square of foil on top.
 
Quoted from the proverbial HM (no not the thymol king - "horse's mouth", better known to all as H@MB):

"It is correct Api Life Var will melt plastic, but this only happens if the
tablets come directly into contact with the hive. To prevent this happening
we recommend part of the packet is used to prevent direct contact. This
method was given to us by the manufacturer who has assured us it will not
have any impact on the efficiency of treatment. The following words appear
on our website to warn customers of the risk:

"Please note Apilife Var will melt plastic if it comes into contact with it.
The way to prevent this is to use part of the packet the tablets come in by
placing a square of it above the tablet and if using plastic frames do the
same underneath. The manufacturers have approved this method. It is only
direct contact with the tablet, which can cause melting. The vapours given
off by the tablet do not cause any problems."

We have found Api Life Var to be a very effective varroa treatment which is
why we recommend it, despite the potential risks - although the degree of
melting caused by the tablet is only cosmetic."
 
It is not the thymol in ALV that melts poly. From correspondence with the manufacturers the culprit seems to be the essential oils used in the mix. If you Google "essential oils melt plastic" you will find some references.
 
It is not the thymol in ALV that melts poly. From correspondence with the manufacturers the culprit seems to be the essential oils used in the mix. If you Google "essential oils melt plastic" you will find some references.
Thymol crystals certainly attack the plastic tray come cover on the small quantity electronic scale I use! also the smell lingers forever !
I now place a barrier between scale and crystals :)
VM
 
Im sure their was a thread on here about something melting poly I seam to remember poly hive testing it on posting the pictures but I cant find it.
 
surely thymol is essential oil based???? Or am I wrong?

You are perfectly correct.

It's crystalised out of thymol oil, extracted from a number of seed sources such as various thymus plants and caraway seeds. Most of it seems to come from India and China.
 
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