"Exactly--shame on you Dick : )"

There is no logic error.  Treating with oxalic vapor is part of keeping bees alive and driving to out yards is also part of keeping bees alive.  You could not run your operation without driving.  I doubt if you could run your operation without mite control.

As a chemist I would rate formic acid pads as the most dangerous treatment we have for mites in terms of potential applicator health issues.  I have used oxalic vaporized enough to know I can easy enough avoid all vapor exposure using equipment I buy at Home Depot and am not worried a bit about the solid I get on my hands.  The same equipment would cut formic vapor exposure to zero also, but I do not see anyone using such equipment when applying formic pads.  And getting formic acid on your hands is a lot bigger deal than getting oxalic acid on your hands.  Rubber, vinyl or whatever gloves are zero protection.  You are not going to work around bee hives very long before you have a hole in those gloves and at that point the glove traps the formic acid against your skin and is more dangerous than bare hands.  At least with bare hands you can spit  on the spot that starts to burn and get a little fast dilution.

Life is dangerous.  The salad I eat for dinner tonite could put me in the hospital or even dead.  I could slip and fall down the stairs after I log off this puter.  I doubt if any mite treatment can be made so safe someone can not get creative and make it dangerous.  Apivar is probably as good as you can get.  I also am sure I have worked with stuff far more toxic than the vast majority of folks on here.  LD 50s as low as tenths of a mg/kg and amounts in the pounds.  Staying safe is a mater of using protective gear and good hygiene which is not at all hard to accomplish.

Dick

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