Peter said, in regard to formic acid:

> My one and only point is that it is a mistake to use a product that is not
> approved or use an approved product in an unapproved manner. One loses all
> legal standing when one does this, and jeopardizes the industry as a whole.

> It makes no difference if the product is used safely in other countries, or
> is permitted under some circumstances in this country. It doesn't make any
> difference if the ruling is wrong, from this point of view.

For the record, "I agree with Peter Borst".  :)


BUT, what if we were to apply this same exact logic to other
commonly-used beekeeping items?

a)  Where is the "approval" for the use of smoke?
     There never has been one.

b)  Where is the "approval" for the use of FGMO?
     There never has been one.  (OK, it is "food grade",
     and therefore "generally recognized as safe" in food,
     but there are lots of food-grade items that, if found in
     honey, would be considered a "contaminant".)

c)  Where is the "approval" for the use of Butyric Anhydride ("Bee-Go")?
     There was an "exemption from the requirement for a tolerance"
     listed at the EPA in the 1980s, but it was quietly revoked a few
     years ago. (If an "exemption" no longer exists, and neither does a
     "tolerance" for the chemical, this can only mean that no amount of
     butyric is permitted in honey, and any honey contaminated with it
     must be marked "unfit for human consumption".)

In regard to "beekeeper safety":

a)  Which is more "hazardous" if mishandled?  Formic Acid, or Checkmite Strips?

        a1)  To the beekeeper?
        a2)  To the environment?
        a3)  To the bees?
        a4)  To the honey?

b)  What's the most "dangerous" item a beekeeper owns from an "OSHA" point of view?

        b1)  Heavy supers that need to be lifted?
        b2)  Wearing a two-cycle engine backpack blower without ear protection?
        b3)  A table saw used to make supers?

In regard to "safe" packaging, how do an Apistan strip, a Checkmite strip, and a bottle
of formic acid differ in the safety precautions one would want on the label?  (Hint: gloves
are a good idea for all 3, but what KIND of gloves are correct for handling each?

In regard to "safety" in general, at what point can we get regulators to separate "beekeepers"
from "consumers", and admit that keeping bees is a avocation or vocation that requires
more intelligence and care than is credited to "consumers", inherently implying the
assumption of a certain amount of risk, and barring most "personal injury suits" against
product suppliers and manufacturers?

At the end of the road to "protect" everyone from everything, we have warning labels
like the one found on a pump-top coffee carafe that sits in my conference room:

        "Warning:  May Contain Hot Liquid"

I noticed the label when the new carafe first appeared, and made it clear to my staff
that the warning label should be about what would happen if I found it to NOT contain hot liquid.   :)

        jim (a caffeine-based lifeform)

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