Dave wrote:
It's quite instructive that the Chinese label does not include any
directions for personal protection, nor any warning not to apply
while bees are making honey...
The ramifications are enormous.

Interesting to see the list informed about these strips but we were told
about these strips around 1990 by the beekeepers which took the China
beekeeping tour (and USDA).

 Three of my friends took the China tour.

The strips pictured were strips meant to be sold on the open market (even to
areas they were not legal to use in).

In China being a communist country all bee hives are owned by the government
and all beekeepers work for the government.

We were told wooden strips with sheep dip (fluvalinate) were  passed out to
all beekeepers in China to use to control varroa. We were told the
government decides on the meds used in the bee hives and then provides the
meds.

Most China beekeepers (in our opinion) know very little about proper use of
meds and precautions for their health while using the government supplied
meds. Also the China beekeepers were not told (as seen by reading the
directions on the package) not to use fluvalinate strips while the honey
supers were on.

The government of China is (in my opinion) directly responsible for the
recent contamination problems by providing the banned antibiotic to
beekeepers and also behind attempts to ultrafilter contaminated honey and
reship into the food chain of the U.S., Canada and the U.K.

I have spent many many hours (if not weeks and months) looking at the
beekeeping in other countries. What I have found would shock many on the
list so will keep for the most part quiet!

Bob

Ps. Thanks Dave for having the courage to post on your website about the
strips but old news I suspect for at least a few on the list.

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