At 12:46 PM 9/6/98 -0400, you wrote:
 
>Gentlemen! In my recent trip to Europa I picked up some liquid amitraz. Does
>anybody knows how to use this chemical in the liquid form. (25% solution).
>They told me amitraz is effective agains both mites. I would appreciate any
>help I could get in this matter. Thank You. Attila
 
Hi Attila,
 
The best way to find out how to use it is to talk with other local bee
keepers in your area that have or are using it. I am sure by this time the
problems such as killing your own bees have been worked out. If you can't
find this information search the Internet as formulations have been posted
in the past for this chemical and formulations of other products that
contain it. Stock men are good sources of information as they have several
mite problems and solutions that could be adapted to honey bees. Some of
these can be purchased at larger farm supply stores if you know the name of
the chemical you want to use and have time to read the label on consumer
products..
 
Posting questions like that here in an international list group with so
many US bee keepers only gets you lots of remarks about the legalities of
its use as here in the US its use is not allowed at this time in the US
because of problems with bee kills in the one prescribed product that was
in use for a short time and then only in a limited area. Some say this and
other products are being used here, I can not say other then what I have
heard which is different then what I have seen which is heavy reliance of
APISTAN strips that are very costly and may be less effective then other
products or methods of Varroa mite control.
 
US beekeepers have a problem believing that our own laws, rules, and
regulation are not world wide in scope and if you do not identify the
country you are from they are fast in assuming that you are asking for
information for use of products that are clearly not permitted locally in
our country. We have a hard time believing that if we can not use something
that others may be within their own rights and laws to do so as we lost
ours long ago. We are sometimes called Ugly Americans but in reality we
have a ugly system of Bee Regulation that is hard to differentiate from
other support systems of bee keeping such as Bee Science, and Bee Keeper
Education because of an incestuous relationship between them here in the US
and we are fast becoming brain washed and sadly brain dead.
 
Our system does not tell us if this chemical does not work or that it is
any more or less desirable to use as a Varroa mite killer as any other
chemical only that we may not use it as it is not registered to use in bee
hives. In other countries wood strips, such as tough depressors or popcycle
sticks are allowed to soak up the chemical and then they are placed in the
hive and the chemical is released over a period of time. Some have used
card board or paper or other organic absorbent materials to do the same
thing having the benefit of the bees removing the dispenser over a period
of time. I suspect as the value of honey retreats to the levels of the
olden days more interest will be generated in finding less costly methods
of controlling bee pests if needed at all.
 
Direct application of chemicals is another method of use, and one that for
sure will in a short time tell you if you have the right mix as with many
of these chemicals a little to much will kill your bees. Most topical
applications are based on information developed that determines the amount
that will kill the target pest and not the host and at the same time its
use will not contaminate the products of the hive. These are determined by
trial and error and the use of a good chemical lab that can work with wax
and honey.
 
And of course if any Texas, USA, bee keeper were to pass you this
information on how it could be used he could find his self with personal
legal problems as one did experience not so long ago in another public on
line group. You see our bee cops are also part of the thought police at
least in Texas and with all its extreme bee keeper regulation has manage to
spread the Tex-Mex Afro bee and "killer" fire ants all the way to California.
 
ttul, the OLd Drone
Los Banos, California
 
http://beenet.com