Natural Oils as/for Pest Control

[Latestarter]

I've read that the varroa do NOT like coriander. Since corriander is actually the seeds of cilantro I wonder if you could use coriander seeds or oil (does it exist?) inside the hive to help drive them (varroa) away? Maybe spray some coriander oil on the inside of the boxes or along the edges of the frames? Has anyone tried this? I can't find anything to tell if it would affect the bees or the flavor of the honey... Maybe plant cilantro around the hives?

Has anyone found any other essential oils that help with pest control? What are you using, how often and is it working?

 

[Southern by choice]

 

[Happy Chooks]

I use cinnamon to keep ants out of the hive. I sprinkle it around the base of the hive on the ground.

 

[Bibby]

A lot of people here in New Zealand use Thyme hay in their smokers. There are of course also plenty of commercial Thyme based varroa treatments like Thymovar around too.

I'm a bit of a newby when it comes to bees though - so don't have much direct experience with these things myself.