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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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From:
allen dick <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 29 Dec 2003 11:54:43 -0700
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> But. We are not talking about a benign chemical. If you are going to
> use it in an evaporator, unless you dress accordingly and have a
> respirator, you are in about as much danger as the mites you are
> treating.

This is the kind of thing that needs to be resolved, just as much as
residue fears, and why some money needs to be spent in North America to
obtain, translate, analyse and generally adapt the European material to
North American conditions and sensitivities.

While some things may be overlooked in one jurisdiction, they may be
carefully scrutinized and strongly regulated just over the fence.
Worker safety and transportation rules differ around the world.  In
Europe, I would guess that most beekeepers do not have staff that is
covered under workers compensation, yet in North America, thousands of
outfits have hired help. This is a big consideration for commercial
outfits planning to employ a chemical.

I notice that whenever we discuss legality and approvals, and other such
topics, confusion reigns.  People state directly opposing opinions and
understandings, and often, it seems all are correct to some extent.  It
seems that some people are carrying on with a practice publicly for
years, yet someone else is being charged or given a hassle by
authorities.  In the past, a blind eye has been turned to many such
practices, but this is a new world; scrutiny is coming to bear on
everything we do, and, as we can see in politics, ultimately there are
no secrets.

It is therefore increasingly important that, before using chemicals and
techniques that might be questionable or have a risk component that all
possible authorities be alerted, and consulted if possible.  By being
upfront and dealing with the objections and fears ahead of time, we make
additional work and expense for ourselves, but then have the assurance
that our products will be saleable, and that we are not in line for a
lawsuit or legal action of some sort or another.

By consulting with all the various authorities and receiving input,
issues may be identified that have not previously been raised, and all
potential opponents brought on side.

I'm also sure that an improved application method can be devised to
replace the crude and awkward evaporators on the market today that risk
operator exposure to the vapour by their very design.  Proper design
would reduce the danger to operators and increase the consistency of
application.  The unit shown so clearly at
http://www.algonet.se/~beeman/research/oxalic/oxalic-1-nf.htm, while
being OK for a single-operator outfit with a few hives to treat, is
lacking for a large outfit with hired help and thousands of hives to
manage.

http://www.honeybeeworld.com/diary/2002/diary111002.htm#oxalic shows an
initial attempt at an applicator designed for commercial use.  It is
big and clumsy, but could be refined in mass production.   The operator
-- a well respected beekeeper -- assures me that, so far, he has seen
good control using it experimentally over one year.  He tested with
strips on a sample of the treated hives a year after the first use, and
found that there were few mites this fall, without having used any
other treatment whatsoever.  So, it works for him.  We need to smooth
off the rough edges, prove that it is safe, and works in more places
than his yards, get oxalic approved for general use, and start to
benefit.

allen
http://www.honeybeeworld.com/diary/

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