> So, is it still technically illegal to use OA with honey supers on until the label is changed?
No, it is immediately legal, as any/all label restrictions are voided by the exemption language in the Final Rule:
"ยง180.1381 Oxalic Acid; exemption from the requirement of a tolerance.
Residues of oxalic acid in or on honey and honeycomb are exempted from the requirement of a tolerance when oxalic acid is used as a miticide in honeybee hives."
So, we need a new quote to intone - "the label is the law, except when the law says otherwise, in which case the law is the law."
> OA as mite treatment is so screwy
I think that this final rule clears up several points quite well:
a) The regulation says what it says - read it, and follow the plain language of the law.
b) The exemption is for the generic chemical "Oxalic Acid" - it specifically says "when oxalic acid is used as a miticide in honeybee hives."
c) This means that I need not buy from Api Bioxal, I can buy ANY Oxalic Acid, as long as it contains no contaminants to a reasonable level of purity.
So, to carefully state the law as it now stands, honey is exempt from the requirement of a tolerance when I use oxalic acid as a miticide, so the "pure oxalic acid" sold as wood bleach complies with the regulation.
So, 5lbs for $19 from Mallwart:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/OXALIC-ACID-99-6-Pure-5-Lbs-Rust-Remover-Wood-Bleach-Boat-Cleaner-and-More/925746730
https://tinyurl.com/w8s2nw5f
Api Bioxal is not hosed by this - there still are lots of people willing to pay for a pre-measured dose. Hell, there are people willing to pay for pre-painted boxes!
How to reliably weigh a gram? The low-cost Chinese electronic scales have made the $5 "GEM-7" plastic balance-beam scale I used to hand out as freebees to students of the Absolutely Free Bee Course collector's items. There are still a few being sold, like this, but at $22, why bother? http://www.delpozzo.com/scales/Calibronwc.htm \
But a mechanical balance is still superior in precision to the electronic scales made of pure Chineseisum, and a mechanical scale never needs winding.
***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html
|