There probably is little danger of poisoning friends or relatives who consume honey from comb exposed to Apistan strips. In tests conducted by Zoecon Corporation, the manufacturer, the active ingredient in Apistan, fluvalinate (a broad-spectrum, cyanopyrethroid contact miticide), showed low mammalian acute toxicity and no apparent oncogenic, teratogenic, or adverse reproductive effects. Studies also showed few or no detectable residues in either honey or wax. At worst, the recipients of your honey have had minimal exposure to any synthetic toxicants, and probably run no more risk of injury than they would in consuming the "natural pesticides" present in foods. However, it is prudent to minimize as much as possible one's exposure to synthetic pesticides in the diet. In any case, as EPA has established no tolerance levels for fluvalinate in honey, it would be illegal knowingly to sell or give away potentially contaminated honey. Tom Culliney [log in to unmask]