>This year, rather than use a toxic miticide strip in your hives,

> The key word here is "toxic."  Anything that kills mites is by necessity toxic. To me, the more important question is whether the product leaves a persistent residue.

To me, the more important question is the lack of understanding that so-called natural chemicals may be as toxic or even more toxic than synthetic ones. A key point in my post is that thymol, menthol, etc. were not tested for toxicity because they are GRAS (generally recognized as safe). Thymol, menthol, etc have been used for hundreds of years. 

But NOT in the concentrations required to kill mites in hives. Anyone who has used these products knows how dangerous they are if handled improperly. To characterize them as "benign" is to place the unschooled novices at risk of really hurting themselves and their bees.

We have been over and over this. The dose makes the poison. It's not: this is poison, that isn't.

Pete

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