I was attending the Utah State Beekeepers Association annual Convention as a second year beekeeper. I heard a talk by the Association President Gayland Yak, an owner of Yak Brothers Honey Roosevelt, Utah. He said if he had to choose only one thing to treat his hives with. It would be Salvation Salve. He shared the recipe with us. When I saw it I had to chuckle. The recipe would make Close to a 100 lbs of Salvation Salve enough for 1500 hives and I had only one.
Martin James who helped me learn the Commercial beekeeping side of beekeeping also used Salvation Salve and taught me to apply it 6 times a year once each moth before and after the honey flow.
This is an effective preventative oil treatment of Tracheal mites and the thymol component helps with both the Tracheal and Varroa mite, but is not a substitute for treating Varroa mite. We apply approximately 1 ounce each March, April, May, September, October, November.
The Salve should be applied on the upper brood chamber and on top of a frame near one of the corners of the hive. If you have a frame feeder then apply opposite side of hive near one of the two corners. Take your hive tool or spoon and scoop 1 oz. of the salve and place directly on top of frame. Not between frames. If you are replacing the salve and some is still left on the frame, then just scrape off and apply new.
Here is the recipe with the original amount and the smaller quantity percentages (below). These can be easily taken down to even smaller quantities. You can also find the grease patty made up for sale on our website. https://www.homershoney.com/product-page/salvation-salve-grease-patty
Tip: This chart is best to look at with a laptop or desktop computer.
Salvation Salve (Gaylon Yak)
Original Recipe / 100 lbs 10% Recipe / 10 lbs 5% Recipe / 5 lbs
Description Quanity Measurement Quanity Measurement Quanity Measurement
Sugar 50 Lbs 5 Lbs 2.5 Lbs
Powdered Sugar 25 Lbs 2.5 Lbs 1.25 Lbs
Shortening 25 Lbs 2.5 Lbs 1.25 Lbs
Thymol Crystals 15 Pint 24 Ounce 12 Ounce
Eucalyptus Oil 3 Pint 4.8 Fluid Ounce 2.4 Fluid Ounce
Menthol Crystals 1 Pint 1.6 Ounce .8 Ounce
Lemon Grass 1 Pint 1.6 Fluid Ounce .8 Ounce
Spearmint or
Wintergreen Oil 1 Pint 1.6 Fluid Ounce .8 Ounce
Camphor Oil 1 Pint 1.6 Fluid Ounce .8 Ounce
Sweet Orange Oil 1 Pint 1.6 Fluid Ounce .8 Ounce
Tea Tree Oil 1 Pint 1.6 Fluid Ounce .8 Ounce