Recently I said:
some of the treatments mentioned on this list: they're illegal.

Mike Rowbottom countered:
Legal/illegal varies from Country to Country; I believe this is an
International list, so subscribers, please treat scattergun comments
on 'legality' with care.

Response:
I wonder what people think when they're using a treatment that's
legal in their country and banned elsewhere. Does that mean it's safe
in their country and not in others? Wouldn't it be wise to err on the
side of caution?

I also said:
if you inadvertently contaminate the honey, you will be liable for
the harm you cause

I would add:
This statement goes even if you are using an approved substance and
you use it incorrectly. I have tried to make this point several
times: beekeepers the world over are using chemicals in unacceptable
ways and if they "shoot themselves in the foot" who is going to go to
bat for them? I have watched commercial beekeepers take off honey
with carbolic acid decades after this technique was condemned by the
government.

In fact, I worked at a beekeepers supply company where we sold
chlordane, carbolic acid, and EDB in unmarked containers. When people
start to gripe about "too much control" I think about the "good old
days" when people drove around with unmarked containers of acid on
their trucks.
Peter Borst
[log in to unmask]
http://www.people.cornell.edu/pages/plb6/