Randy wrote:
> Commercial bees are alive today largely due to off label use
of miticides, across the country.
Peter wrote:
>reply: From reports on bees in Europe etc where pesticides residues were
>looked for, the same goes for them, too.

The contamination  caused by off label use of the same chemicals as in
strips seems to be (from discussions with researchers) about the same as if
strips were used.

Jeff Pettis showed slides at a presentation I attended that even a single
use of Apsitan or coumaphos strips raised comb contamination to a certain
level. repeated use only maintained the level.

I hate to bring coumaphos into this discussion because a nasty chemical
which in my opinion should be banned from use in hives *but only my 
opinion*.
Off label use of the ag product is very stupid and from my sources very very
rare.

The part I find funny in most these discussions is only a few really know
what is being used and formulas ect. and most simply except the fact that
the CCD deadouts had levels of fluvalinate & coumaphos instead of the basic
truth which is most of the 2 million hives in the U.S ( mostly thriving
today) will test at the same levels of fluvalinate and at times coumaphos.

Ditto for the worlds beekeepers.

Even the most outspoken beeks on the internet seem to think CCD was caused
by a pathogen.

After pathogen comes every other possible thing including one ( I met the
other day) which believes cell phones are still disorientating the bees.
Sure comb contamination *could* be an issue and comb rotating is always in
my opinion a good thing but I do not buy into the hypothesis presented by
Allen the main causes for hive loss in California.

I buy into what Randy has
said.

I would agree with Randy & Peter that off label prudent use of miticides
registered for bees has been going on since commercial beeks were first
taught to use such treatments . Mostly from old ABJ & BC articles describing
treatments of those ag chemicals by researchers on wooden sticks * before*
apistan , mitacur & checkmite were registered .

With my contacts one would think I would posses a vast knowledge of off
label use of miticides registered for honey bees.

bob

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