>Let us not forget that the bee world is bigger then California and
>the USA and in many areas of the world there are other treatments other
>then the few so called recommended legal one's used in California and
>the USA. In fact there have been and may still be areas of the USA that
>have permits to use material's other then what we can use in California.
 
I will internationalize my statement:
 
Do not put any fluvalinate in your hives that is not properly registered for
use in bee hives.
 
Mites becoming resistant to fluvalinate is not just a U.S. concern; it is a
world-wide concern.  Improper use will hasten the time when fluvalinate will
no longer control the mites.
 
>...our future may
>be more dependent on what some one is trying today then on what we are
>all doing according to local bee or chemical laws or customs.
 
>I for one want to know what is going on, and I don't know a better way
>then for all of us to be tolerant and open about what we are doing. At
>the same time I do not suggest to anyone that they brake any law just to
>keep there bees healthy, or do I not understand that some in the bee
>regulatory, research, and bee extension business are sometimes compelled
>to remind us of the laws in their own area. I hope we beekeepers leave
>that job to them, its one of those dirty jobs that someone has to do.
 
I love it when beekeepers try other methods of treatment.  I think that it is
their willingness to take risks that will give us alternatives to
fluvalinate, when the mites develop resistance to it.  I am very interested
in the people who are experimenting with the plant-based essential oils like
spearmint oil and the Mite Solution stuff.  I wish them well, and hope they
are successful.  I would never discourage anyone from experimenting with new
ideas.
 
However, when beekeepers use an unregistered formula of fluvalinate, they are
not trying anything new.  We already know fluvalinate works.  They are just
being cheap, and endangering the reputation of the industry and the
livelihood of other beekeepers as well.  When it comes to defending my
livelihood, I don't believe it is proper to leave the "dirty" work solely to
the regulatory guys.  It's not their bees who will die when the Apistan stops
working; it's not their honey that won't sell because the general public
suddenly gets the idea that honey is loaded with pesticide.  Some situations
call for being tolerant and some situations call for telling someone that
what they are doing is wrong; apparently we disagree about the appropriate
action for this particular situation.  That's okay; we can agree to disagree.
 
By the way, my original concern was over a gentleman who had placed "apistan
treated honeycomb" in his hives.  He has since written me and explained that
he was not inventing a creative treatment for mites.  He was feeding honey
that had been in a super on a hive when he had treated with Apistan.  Rather
than extract it, he was feeding it back to the bees, because he considered it
contaminated.  So my concern in this case was unfounded....
 
Regards,
Shawna Roberts
Gypsy Bees
Hollister, CA