Hello Brian & All,

>  Its widely known that the EPA levels for Amitraz, Fluvalinate and
Comaphous are high enough most beekeepers can skate by. Does that
mean then the honey is not contaminated?

I would have to say yes!  Maybe not honey *you* might want to consume but
the honey does meet the standards set for allowable amounts of the above
chemicals deemed at low enough levels not to be a health concern.

Atrazine is in my own water county supply and the reason I choose to use
bottled water but the water department says not to worry the water is within
limits.

 I personally would bet NONE of the three chemicals above can be found in
*any* amount in the honey I sell (and eat) as I use none of those and have
changed all my comb from the days I did use some of those.

>I beleive that the American public will not be impressed when they learn of
the typical formulation of Big Honey and the fact that the "typical" beehive
in the USA is full of antibitotics and miticides wether its legal levels or
not.

I am not sure of the meaning of Big Honey? If you mean packers I agree they
need to check closer on contaminates in honey. Especially from outside out
borders. Chloramphenical was a nasty antibiotic. How long had China honey
been contamianted with the nasty antibiotic? Year? decades?

We need to deal with the facts and stick with realty. The fact is after the
antibiotic contamination from China & Argentina was found. All honey coming
in & U.S. honey was put on a three year watch and samples were picked up
from about every producer whcih sells in stores. Mine was one of the first
and picked up by the health department. Passed with flying colors. A jar was
picked up a month ago and passed again.

They were testing all samples for the three chemicals Brian listed.

China honey:
> Some of these traders will bring antibiotics for the keepers, but it's
just as easy for beekeepers to call a local drugstore and have someone
deliver chloramphenicol or other medicines they request.

>Li thinks 30% of Chinese honey comes from bees treated with antibiotics,
but Sun Baoli believes the figure is as high as 70%."

China has serious problems with its food supply. If we keep importing more
and more food from China we will in my opinion share in their problems. Many
beekeepers think if a serious honey contamination happens that it will be
found in imported honey. Packers are scared and have increased testing but
all I have talked to worry a load might slip through.

In my opinion our public water supply in many areas of the U.S. is far more
contaminated (pesticides) than even honey from China with small amounts of
an antibiotic.

Sincerely,
Bob Harrison
U.S. honey producer


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