Docteur André Simoneau writes:

If my weight is 100 kilos I could intake 300 mg of formic
acid every day, Natural content of honey is 85 mg/kg and
after spring treatment, the residue goes up to close to 300
mg/kg. When I wrote that 300mg/kg is far from the
acceptable daily intake limit, I meant that nobody eats 1
kg of honey a day. My point is that treatment with formic
acid will not constitute a toxi danger for human
consumption.

Reply:
This is very good information to know. But seeing that the
residue goes up to close to 300 mg/kg for normal treatments
(assuming it could be higher or lower for not normal then)
how long does it stay at this level and at what rate
decline back down to normal following treatment? Also since
humans are much bigger then bees by weight, etc. then the
residues would effect the bees and other relationships
within a colony. Can you point me to other sites on what it
does to the trachae, or soft exoskelton of the honey bee
(burn holes for vectoring in disease) as I have heard that
AFB and foul broods are bad following treatments! Is this
true on the fouls? Also I have heard much death of larva
having to be removed and redone within colonies treated. At
what level of residue or treatment does this take place, or
can it be avoided with proper treatments, properly timed
with temperature?

You then wrote:
It is also mentionned in the above reference, that a daily
consumption of 2000 to 4000mg in short term would not cause
any intoxication symptoms in man.

Reply:
I did not know that this could cause intoxication symptoms
in man in the short term. But you mention short term. Is
there a long term (brain problems) concerning problems with
usage and exposure (breathing). What would be the
intoxication symptoms concerning bees? This I have never
heard about, that is, formic acid causing intoxication in
bees? How long does it last, and how does it differ from
that of pesticides for knowing what you are looking at or
for?

I am learning much from you and would like to learn more!

Regards,

Dee A. Lusby
Commercial Beekeeper
http:groups.yahoo.com/group/organicbeekeepers





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