In response to someone suggesting that Oxalic Acid should not be 'put in the
same basket' as hard chemicals, Peter said "This kind of cavalier attitude
is what spurred civilized countries to
enact pure food and drug laws. Maybe you should put on your honey
label: "Bees treated with whatever I could buy cheap down at the feed
store; Consume at your own risk."

Peter is a great guy and his thoughts and insights have been very helpful to
those on this list, including me.  But he is dead wrong on this one.

In most (or all) of Europe, where it is not legal to use fluvalinate,
coumaphous, tylosin, and other dangerous chemicals that are perfectly legal
to use in US beehives, Oxalic Acid has been extensively tested and is
perfectly legal to use.  Moreover, it is a natural component of honey.  Any
statement that promoting its use in the US is a "cavalier attitude" is just
wrong *WRONG*.

I'd venture to say that better than 90% of US beekeepers are very concerned
about using anything on their bees or in their beehives that might
contaminate honey.  And we should celebrate this, and not mock the attitude
just because some deadwood government agency has not endorsed its use.
But...less than 5% of the US beekeepers produce 75% (or more) of the honey.
These are the very large beekeepers with 3,000-5,000-40,000 hives.  I have
less confidence that these beekeepers are 'doing what is right' to keep
their honey pure and their bees healthy.

-- 
Lloyd Spear
Owner Ross Rounds, Inc.
Manufacture of equipment for round comb honey sections,
Sundance Pollen Traps, and producer of Sundance custom labels.
Contact your dealer or www.RossRounds.com <http://www.rossrounds.com/>

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