On Tue, 21 Jul 2009 21:53:20 -0400, Peter L Borst <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >In the case of honeybees fed antibiotics spring and fall (not during a honey flow) there is an >extremely small chance of the consumption of a detectable amount of antibiotic by a person >eating honey. Maybe with TM I can agree with that, but the half life of Tylan I'm not so sure. http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/Publications.htm?seq_no_115=157170 http://www.medinabeekeepers.com/Newsletters/OhioInfoBee200604.pdf "The stability of this type of product is measured in half life. The half life for Oxytetracycline is 7.6 days while the half life for tylosin is 287 days! The potential for residue is real!" Here is an excerpt from the Union of Concerned Scientists position on the proposed law. http://www.ucsusa.org/food_and_agriculture/solutions/wise_antibiotics/pamta.html "But while doctors are actively curtailing unnecessary uses of antibiotics in human medicine, operators of CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations) continue to use vast quantities of these priceless drugs every day in the feed and water of animals that are not even sick." That sure sounds like feedlot beekeeping doesn't it? Maybe not every day, but twice a year whether there is any sign of AFB or not many beekeepers are feeding antibiotics to bees that are not sick. Thats the point of this proposed law. It's abuse of antibiotics thats at issue. I also have heard reports of beekeepers claiming a feeding of Tylan 6 weeks before the main flow appears to jack up the bees and increase brood rearing. This too is similar to how antibiotics are used in pork and beef, amping up the growth rates. *********************************************** The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html