From: "allen dick"  " When we used formic, it was evaporated from pads,
which were discarded. I do not know if the minuscule amounts of impurities
documented evaporate with the formic or stay in the pad."

The issue originally raised by Dee was on contamination by heavy metals.  As
formic is being applied in ways that depend on evaporation, not direct
contact with bees, contamination could occur only if the contaminants are
volatile.  Can some chemist say if heavy metals could be part of any
volatile?  They sound more likely to be in in a salt to someone of my
ignorance.  If so, and provided the pads are removed (not left to be torn up
by the bees), isn't the risk of such contamination a red herring?

I ask because in UK we have many beekeepers who keep only a hive or two or
three and who now face restistence to Apistan.  They have to learn new
methods APPLICABLE TO BEEKEEPING ON SUCH SMALL SCALE.   One of several
problems is obtaining small quantities of organic acids for testing in their
situations.  Formic acid at 54% can be bought in local hardware shops in
250ml thick plastic bottles with safety tops, marked 'Kilrock-K kettle
descaler'.  The Materials Safety Data  Sheet can be downloaded from
www.kilrock.co.uk.   There is no mention of anything except the acid.
Questions:  can such a Materials Data Sheet,  published in conformity with
EC Directives,  be relied on to mention contaminants if present?     Is
formic acid available to the general public in this in other countries?
Recommendations on treating hives usually suggest applying 250ml of 65% acid
to pads - would 250ml of 54% work adequately provided the pad size was
increased ratio 65:54, or do we need to complicate the appication by
applying 250 x65/54= 300ml, a bottle and a fifth?    Is this what many
beekeepers are doing/have been doing ?

In passing, Oust All Purpose Kettle Descaler comes as 3 x 50ml plastic
sachets just in a cardboard carton - packed properly under EC Directives, so
cannot be considered a great safety risk. The Data Sheet from dylon.co.uk
says it consists of 50-70% lactic acid.

Clearly many think using liquid formic in any way at all is an unacceptable
risk.  Kilrock-K has been sold to housewives for 50 years for them to open
the bottle and tip the contents into their kettles, waering at best
household rubber gloves.  Why would emptying it onto a pad in a beehive
constitute a greater risk?   There is no comparison with carrying acid in
open buckets at a factory.

None of us yet know what alternative treatments will prove most useful in
the period before resistent bees are available to all - IMHO we need all the
methods available as options.

Robin Dartington

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