Linalool oregano

A recent survey about essential oils and their pure constituents used to control Varroa jacobsoni, contained three interesting tables that reported the toxicity of essential oils for V. jacobsoni and Apis mellifera after 24, 48 and 72 hours in a topical application and in an evaporation test, and the effects of essential oils on behavior and reproduction of V jacobsoni and on the bee brood [63]. The most interesting oils were those of cinnamon and clove, with 100% mite mortality after 24 h and no significant toxicity on honey bees. Furthermore, clove essential oil produced small brood mortality, and it was an inhibitor of mite reproduction. Other effective oils were anise, fennel, lavender, rosemary and wintergreen, which killed 100% mites after 48-72 hours. On the contrary, the oils obtained from garlic, onion, oregano and thyme, were found to be very toxic for honey bees. Among pure constituents, camphor, linalool, linalyl acetate and pinene resulted small brood mortality and inhibited mite reproduction. 

Main components Up to 3% essential oil with carvacrol, rarely thymol, as main constituent, as well as p-cymene, linalool, bomeol, terpinene-4-ol. On the composition of various oregano oils see [186],... 

Spanish oregano oil contains up to 50% thymol and 7 to 8% a-pinene, cineole, linalyl acetate, linalool, dipentene, p-cymene, and p-caryophyllene. Other varieties contain carvacrol as the major component. 

The occurrence of several chemotypes is reported, for example, for commercially used Origanum species, from Turkey (Baser, 2002). In 0. onites, two chemotypes are described, a car-vacrol type and a linalool type. Additionally, a mixed type with both basic types mixed may occur. In Turkey, two chemotypes of Origanum majorana are known, one contains cA-sabinene hydrate as chemotypical lead compound and is used as marjoram in cooking (marjoramy), while the other one contains carvacrol in high amounts and is used to distil oregano oil in a commercial scale. 

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