Mihaly Ligmond writes:
 
> I am a new user and have a couple of (probably stupid) questions for anyone
> who cares to answer. First is the Varroa a tracheal mite or not? Also has
 
No.  It is a mite, but it's an external parasite of honeybees and  lives
by  consuming  their haemolymph (blood).  A Varroa is about 1.5mm x 1mm.
Tracheal mites are  very  tiny  and  live  inside  the  breathing  tubes
(trachea) of the bees.
 
> anyone ever heard of lead contamination in propolis?
 
Yes.  It seems to be something of a problem, at least where propolis  is
classed  as  a  foodstuff.  The levels of contamination I have heard are
around the 10-20ppm mark and, against expectations, _don't_ appear to be
due to the level of local road traffic (not yet anyway).
 
If I was consuming propolis in food quantities that concentration  would
worry  me.   In  the  quantities  one  typically  consumes  propolis,  I
*personaly* think the problem is seriously overstated.
 
Regards,
--
Gordon Scott    [log in to unmask]         100332,3310 on CompuServe
Newsletter      [log in to unmask]      ditto
                Beekeeper, Kendo Sandan, sometime sailor.
                Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG22 5HP, UK