I just wanted to drop a message because I am seeing so much on the list
about formic acid as a mite control.
 
Formic Acid (HCOOH) and Acetic Acid (CH3COOH) can both be purchased in the
US from your local pharmacy  or other chemical supply house for about $10-20
US per pint at strengths of greater than 90%.
 
Yes they are dangerous but hopefully nobody would try and drink or wash in
them.  Breathing the vapors is the other hazard.  Work on days when the
breeze in blowing and keep the chemicals down wind.    Wear playtex
dishwashing gloves as protection for your hands and throw the gloves away
when you are done.
 
These chemicals are no more dangerous than many other household chemicals.
Read the label on Drain-O or other drain opener.  At the local plumbing
supply house (available for sale to anyone)  I can buy concentrated Sulfuric
and Nitric acids.  Both of these will react much more violently with human
tissue than formic or acetic.  Muratic Acid (HCl) is sold for a pH buffer
for swinning pools and clorox (NaHClO4) is a common bleach.  If the two are
mixed a toxic, sometimes fatal, cloud of chlorine gas is formed.    I see
people talking about diazanon as an ant treatment.  Read that lable if you
want to see some hazardous stuff.   I want to point these out to show we use
dangerous chemicals all the time but we learned to read and follow instructions.
 
Read the precautions on the apistan strips.  They are a pesticide that
requires special handling also.
 
The trick is to use your brain when working with these chemicals.  Would you
work your bees with no smoke?
 
For the record:  Formic acid was first discovered in Germany by distilling
ants.  A 5% acetic acid is sold as vinegar in the stores.
 
Some of you entomologist out there correct me, but isn't formic acid in the
ant's "sting"?
 
I will close with a question:  What about smoking the hives using menthol
cigarettes?  I use about 3 of the cheapest menthol cigarettss I can find and
it doesn't appear to hurt the bees and may have enough nicotene to harm the
mites.
I use 3 cigaretts per 25 grams of cotton in my smoker and the bees are calm
so I don't feel it disturbs the bees.
 
Richard Barnes
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