BEE-L Archives

Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

BEE-L@COMMUNITY.LSOFT.COM

Options: Use Monospaced Font
Show Text Part by Default
Show All Mail Headers

Message: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Topic: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Author: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]

Print Reply
Subject:
From:
James Fischer <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Date:
Thu, 15 May 2008 17:32:34 -0400
Content-Type:
text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (73 lines)
Dee said:

>>> the same chemicals used on crops are officially
>>> used in hives also and you cannot have it both ways

I asked Dee:

>> Could you please list specific miticides
>> having the dual-usage you claim exists?

And, I of course meant "OFFICIALLY used in 
hives and on crops", just as Dee clearly said.

Randy added:

> Fluvalinate is registered for hive use as Apistan,
> amitraz in not currently registered in this country,
> but was, under the name Miticur.

Amitraz cannot be OFFICIALLY used in hives. 
Any detection of amitraz in hives or honey
at any level would be grounds for destruction 
of the honey as adulterated by pesticides not 
approved for use in connection with honey.

> Fluvalinate--used to control some 30 pests

But on what actual crops, if any?  Where might 
it be used where bees would be placed for either 
honey or pollination?  I was asking for a mechanism 
where confusion might result as to the origin
of the pesticide in a beehive, and I am pretty 
sure that this would be very rare.

> Coumaphos--used as sheep and cattle dip

And bees are not at all likely to come in contact
with any of these substances either, now are they?

> The active ingredient in Hivastan is an ag chem
> (I choose not to specify here)

It is "Fenpyroximate", CAS # 134098-61-6 
aside from being registered for spider mites 
in greenhouses, what food-related ag applications
might it have?  I don't know of any.

> There are several other ag miticides used off
> label by commercial beeks.  I also choose not
> to list here.

But Dee did not mention, and I did not ask about,
illegal "off-label" use.  So why the semantics?

The bottom line is that, except for beekeeper MISuse,
there is very little chance of overlap between beekeeper
use of a miticide and agricultural use of the same 
chemical on bee-related crops, so any level at all 
detected in wax, honey, or bees is highly likely to 
be solely due to the beekeeper's actions.

Jerry B can wade in if he wants, and explain in detail
exactly how many orders of magnitude difference there
would be between residues from beekeeper use in the hive
and residues resulting from foraging on crops that would 
somehow be treated with miticides, but I think that this 
point should be somewhat obvious.

****************************************************
* General Information About BEE-L is available at: *
* http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm   *
****************************************************

ATOM RSS1 RSS2