Ari Seppälä wrote: "But in the study we have had for 4 years now I have
seen that oxalic combined with formic of thymol is quite enough. Formic or
thymol is given in August after the honeyflow and oxalic later."

I most certainly hope that research in the United States will bring to
fruition FDA approval on oxalic acid; and this needs to happen with the
highest of priorities; additional remedies that are available to the
European markets are needed here as well.

IMHO this needs to be pushed by the many associations, organizations, and
even the NHB itself here in the USA.  Dr. Thomas Rinderer and many, many
others at the various USDA-ARS facilities and the many research
universities are working on the genetic side of combating varroa
resistance. Many dollars are being spent and genetically resistant lines
of Carniolian, Russian, and Italian honeybees are coming to market this
spring. Most -not all- of these "breeds" are requiring at least one
treatment of a miticide per calendar year.

Allen posted in his Diary yesterday, December 24, 2003: I heard today,
from Heather, that CHC has decided to push for oxalic approval, covering
both evaporation and drizzling treatments."

Due to the adaptability of the varroa to become resistant to traditional
pesticides such as amitraz, fluvalinate, and coumaphos it is my most
humble opinion that a multitude of miticides needs to be developed,
researched, and finally approved by the FDA in order for the commercial
beekeeper in America to:  (1) Stay ahead of the varroa. (2) Be able to
apply a miticide in a fast efficient cost effective manner.

Apilife- Var and Sucrose Octanoate are part of the solution, but there is
a whole lot of stuff in the European pipeline- a whole lot!. I believe
that the use of oxalic acid in both of its two currently available methods
of application will afford needed additional protection for the honey bee
as well as being safe in the food chain. It is needed now.

Perhaps the folks that head the FDA should realize that the honey bee is
responsible for approximately one third of everything we eat on our table,
and that the feral honey bee is now most likely the result of improper
swarm prevention or control. Europe is so far ahead in the R&D of
miticides, yet published research is viewed by some in the US with
skepticism; one of the benefits of a research project is the benefit of
mirroring and repeating the experiments with the same probable expected
results. The folks on this side of the pond need to act quickly and in a
multitude of fronts from genetics to miticides to other methods and
combinations of miticides and integrated management in order to combat
this destructor.


Chuck Norton
Norton's Nut & Honey Farm
Reidsville, North Carolina

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