In the 1990s, the Bee Research Centre took part in a screening programme testing the potential effectiveness of over 100 essential oils and essential oil components against the varroa mite. Although sage, hyssop and thyme oils proved interesting, only thymol has been used in acaricide products. Thymol treatments require little effort, and there are a variety of preparations on the market. The advantages and drawbacks of thymol use are listed in the articles "Apilife VAR: A new varroacide with thymol as the main ingredient" and "THYMOVAR for Varroa control".
This study compares the specificity and characteristics of two hard (Gruyère) cheese varieties manufactured at differents altitudes : 1) L`Etivaz cheese manufactured at L`Etivaz with two production sites (L`Etivaz 1 & L`Etivaz 2, 1300-2100 m) , 2) Gruyère cherese manufactured at Montbovon (1000 m) and at Grangeneuve (600 m). These four production sites were studied during summer 1995, from the beginning of June unti mid-September. Observations were carried out at each site : botanical composition of the pastures , chemical composition of the grass , chemical composition of milk, cream and cheese which was ripened over 8-9 months, as well as sensory and rheology properties of cheese. The grass composition was markedly different but the cheese production methods were similar excepted for milk heating (with open log fire producing some smoke in highland or in stream heated vats in lowland factories). All cheese loaves (n049) matured in the same ripening cellar under identical conditions. This study clearly highlights numerous differences of composition (heavy metals, fatty acids, triglycerides, volatile components including terpenoids, polyaromatic hydrocarbons and as well as flavour) between highland and lowland milk products
Although the use of thymol leads to residues in the wax and honey, these are negligible from a toxicological viewpoint. Since about 2008 the use of thymol-based products has been declining in Switzerland, and beekeepers making use of these products have tended to experience greater winter losses than those using e.g. formic acid.
