Derk Phelps queried about the reuse of Apistan(R), to which I respond by
REPOSTING FROM THIS LIST!!! the following:
 
  "Jerry Worrell <[log in to unmask]> of Dunkirk, MD posted
   the following from the newsletter of the Pierce County
   Beekeepers Association, concerning the reuse of Apistan
   strips.  Those who have reused Apistan strips in the past
   may want to rethink that strategy.
 
                         Reuse of Apistan
 
   Several persons have reported the reuse of Apistan after
   some modification of the surface of the strip.  Testing of
   this method produced the following results:
 
   * New Strips = 809 ug of fluvalinate on surface
 
   * Visibly clean strips after 45 days of use = 201 ug (24.8%)
 
   * Slightly contaminated strips after 45 days = 142 ug
     (17.6%)
 
   * After 45 days: brushed with electric wire wheel = 110 ug
     (13.6%)
 
   * After 45 days: planed on each side of strip = 70 ug (8.7%)
 
   * After 6 months use (over winter) = 38 ug (4.7%)
 
   Obviously using the strips beyond the 45 days required on
   the product label significantly reduces the amount of chemi-
   cal available to kill mites.  Altering the surface of the
   strips actually reduced the amount of chemical available.
   Having low, sub-lethal levels of chemical in the presence of
   an organism raises the opportunity for the development of
   resistance to the product.  Any reuse of Apistan is prohib-
   ited by the label and now we know it is counter productive
   and may produce Varroa resistance to fluvalinate."
 
Then, Allen Dick wonders if subscribers ever bother to read what is
posted (let alone packaging labels!).  I can only guess that subscribers
come and go and rarely bother to peruse the FAQ.  What was asked and
answered last year may be unknown to new subscribers.  Perhaps the best
thing to do here is to point the reasker of the same ol' questions to
the answer as it exists in the archives rather than answering the
question again.  Unfortunately, the archives
are lacking.  Repeated requests for authors have not been fruitful.
Checking the archives, I don't find the answer to the oft' asked question
on the reuse of Apistan(R).  So, I propose that when a regular
subscriber sees a question asked so many times that they can answer it
in their sleep, that the next time they take a nap, they compose the
answer and indicate that the answer is to be added to the FAQ and added to
"Hints for the Hive" so that the archives grow as a good source for newbies
to find the answers they seek.
 
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna take a nap!
 
Aaron Morris - I think, therefore I bee!