> Beekeepers searching for the primary source of pesticides contaminating bee hives need only to look in a mirror. Unfortunately, the regulatory system governing the veterinary use of pesticides in bee hives in the USA may be perversely contributing to the problem. Two of the handful of pesticides registered for legal use in the USA, coumaphos (CheckMite+ ) and tau-fluvalinate (Apistan ), BOTH OF WHICH SERIOUSLY CONTAMINATE WAX, HAVE BECOME LARGELY USELESS against the primary pest of honey bees, the Varroa mite. 

> Another effective varroacide used in Europe and Canada, oxalic acid, is not registered in the USA because it is low in cost, readily available, and potential registrants are deterred by the cost of the registration process. There are 3 registered in-hive pesticides that provide effective Varroa control in the USA, fenpyroximate (Hivistan ), formic acid (Miteaway II ) and thymol (ApiGuard  and Api-Life Var ). Other effective pesticides, including amitraz and oxalic acid, are used by some beekeepers in the absence of any regulatory approval. 

> A CHANGE IN THE REGULATORY SYSTEM NEEDS TO OCCUR to make effective and safe veterinary pesticides available to beekeepers and to spur research into the effects of candidate compounds on honey bee health. Likewise, beekeepers need to realize that honey bee pests and parasites are community problems, as well as individual problems, and that pesticide labels are crafted to protect the sustainability of pesticides. The USE OF UNREGISTERED PRODUCTS IS A SERIOUS THREAT TO THE BEEKEEPING COMMUNITY and should not occur. 

Pesticides and honey bee toxicity – USA
Reed M. Johnson, Marion D. Ellis, Christopher A. Mullin, Maryann Frazier. Apidologie

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