When EPA issued the Section 18 Approval for coumophos in New York
state, I reported about it in the newsletter of my local beekeeping
association.  My source was a newsletter from Cornell University.  Excerpts
from my newsletter, which contained excerpts from Cornell's newsletter
follow.

... EPA issued Section 18 approval of Coumophos on March 9, 1999 for
CheckMite+ä, a strip formulation of the chemical. This means that New York
beekeepers with the small hive beetle or Apistan resistant mites can obtain
this chemical legally for pest management. Important highlights include:
1. The product, called CheckMite+ (also known as Bayer Bee Strips), contains
10% coumophos.
2. A total 34,900 CheckMite+ Strips were approved: 29,300 to
control varroa mites and 8,000 to control small hive beetles.
3. Treatments must be applied at a time when bees are not producing a surplus
honey crop. 8 mil NITRILE RUBBER gloves must be worn when handling strips.
4. To control varroa mites, use one strip for each five combs of bees in each
brood chamber (Langstroth deep frames or equivalent in other sizes). Hang the
strips within two combs of the edge of the bee cluster. If two deep supers are
used for the brood nest, hang CheckMite+ strips in alternate corners of the
cluster, in the top and bottom super. Remove honey supers before application of
CheckMite+ strips and do not replace until the end of the control period.
Treat all infested colonies within the yard. The treatment is most effective
when brood rearing is lowest. Effective control may be achieved by treating
hives in the spring before the first honey flow and in the fall after the last
honey flow. Leave the strips in the hive for at least 42 days (six weeks). Do
not leave strips in hive for more than 45 days. Do not treat more than twice a
year for varroa mites.
5. To control the small hive beetle, prepare a piece of corrugated cardboard
approximately 4x4 inches by removing one side. Remove one CheckMite+ strip.
Cut strip in half cross ways and staple the two pieces to the corrugated side
of the cardboard. Place as near to the center of the bottom board as possible
with the strips down. Leave at least three days.
6. The Section 18 use of coumophos impregnated in plastic strips to be hung in
beehives has been classified as a non-food use and no tolerances will be
established in either honey or beeswax.
7. The EPA Headquarters and Regional offices shall be immediately informed of
any adverse effects or misuse resulting from the use of this pesticide in
connection with this exemption.
8. In accordance with 40 CFR 166.32, a report summarizing the results of this
program must be submitted to EPA Headquarters and the EPA Region II offices by
October 8, 2000. 9. This specific exemption expires March 8, 2000.

>------------------------   End of Excerpt   ---------------------------------<

Now, I'm just not left with a warm fuzzy feeling for this product.  The track
record for Apistan shows that a large number of beekeepers did not follow the
labels.  It's undeniable.  Some were suspicious at first, but most got
comfortable with using the strips and after a few years Apistan use became
second nature.  Now CheckMite+ hits the scene, and most beekeepers are
receiving the product with open arms, glad to have a new harmless strip to
replace the failing Apistan.  It just ain't so!  If  EPA sticks to it's guns (0
tolerance of residues), coumophos will be gone in a year.  I doubt that will
happen.  When is zero not zero?  When economic pressures say so.

However, rather than complacently receiving this new product with a
collective sigh of relief, there should be a collective cry, a TUMULTUOUS
DEMAND from the beekeeping industry that better tools, SAFER tools be
brought to market. Why is it that a nasty product like coumophos can be brought
to market so quickly when efforts to approve formic acid have been thwarted at
every turn for well over a decade now?  What's wrong with this picture?  Why is
it that beekeepers are blindly accepting EPA's decision that nerve poison can
be safely impregnated into plastic stips for safe distribution and use, yet we
continue to allow a more benign product to be denied to us.  I thought
beekeepers were a more cantankerous group, but perhaps our reputation is over
rated.

Aaron Morris - I think, therefore I bee!