Re.  Formic Acid
 
    Bill Miller correctly pointed out that the reason formic acid (FA) has
    not been approved for use in the US (until now) is because of
    bureaucracy and regulations.  I suspect, American beekeepers are
    experiencing the same problem and frustration as Canadian beekeepers did
    some years ago.
 
    The regulatory structure established for the approval and registration
    of a product has been designed to deal with a company or individual
    holding propietary rights to a product it wishes to have approved and
    registered.  Such corporate entity would have to travel through the
    obligatory route of trials and testing with making the information
    available to the regulatory agencies.   This process generally takes
    years and millions ($) to complete.  But of course, the corporation has
    at least the assurance of having a monopolistic position in the market
    place for that product for I believe 20 years.
 
    But what about FA?  This is a generic product on which nobody has
    propietary rights.  As such, nobody is willing or could afford to carry
    out efficacy trials, residue testing, etc. without the opportunity to
    recoup those expenses through future sales.
 
    Here in Canada, the beekeeping industry and provincial jurisdictions
    decided to carry out trials under federal experimental permits for
    several years.   Several people in different provinces coordinated the
    data collection and label write-up.   A video showing the proposed
    methods of application was made and presented to the key federal
    officials involved in the approval process.  It was only then that FA
    (65% concentration) became an approved product in beehives for the
    control of varroa and HBTM in Canada.
 
    I hope American beekeepers can establish a similar, industry-supported
    effort that would see FA become an approved product in the US.  FA is
    not an ideal product both in its efficacy or applicator exposure but it
    is a valuable tool when used alternatively to Apistan.
 
    Paul van Westendorp                         [log in to unmask]
    Provincial Apiarist
    British Columbia