On Tue, 3 Apr 2001, Tim Rich wrote:
> And - I appreciate the suggestion of mineral oil instead of used
> motor oil.  My mentor paints all his stands with used motor oil
> regularly.  I don't like to see the oil slick running down the creek
> from my hives, and have avoided this method when possible - which is
> always, now!

I cringed when I read this.

I would ask you to ask your mentor, as gently as possible, to stop
employing used motor oil for his hive stands.

Used motor oil is vile stuff.  It's flammable, it's persistent in the
environment when not exposed to direct sunlight and warm temperatures,
and it smells.  It's frequently contaminated with heavy metals,
antifreeze, and other things picked up in the engine.

The evidence that used motor oil is carcinogenic is strong enough that
all retail motor oil produced since 1985 must bear this warning:

    "CAUTION: Avoid prolonged or repeated skin contact with used motor
     oil.  Used motor oil has been shown to cause skin cancer in
     laboratory animals.  Thoroughly wash exposed areas with soap and
     water."

The "oil slicks" that your mentor creates winds up contaminating
hundreds of thousands of gallons of drinking water:

    http://www.epa.gov/grtlakes/seahome/housewaste/house/motoroil.htm

And finally, improper disposal of used motor oil is a crime, in
virtually all areas of the United States.

I suspect your mentor would be upset if local farmers improperly
applied insecticides and killed his bees.  Yet the damage he is
inflicting on the environment is no less severe, and no less
forgivable.  Please see if you might be able to make him realize the
error of his ways.

--
James Ralston
Pittsburgh, PA, USA