>I have been told..... the EPA has the opinion that beekeepers in general
are a bunch of unreliable pesticide applicators because they use homemade
remedies, do not bother to remove pesticides and medications as required,
and/or they improperly apply legally approved pesticides.

>there are people besides beekeepers who read this List!

That’s likely to be indeed what EPA, OSHA, USDA are thinking. Trying to
hide things, in my opinion, only makes it worse. There are some out there
who indeed do just as mentioned above. In the interest of safety it is the
lowest common denominator that’s chosen.

Some newer hobby beekeepers may get the impression that since trace amounts
of a few acids occur naturally in honey they are somehow “safer” to use
than something like, say, sulfuric acid. Some pretty nasty stuff is being
applied here. I may be wrong on this, but oxalic acid is not an approved
pesticide in the U.S. and since it isn’t approved as a pesticide I don’t
believe, plain and simple, it’s now legal to use whether the applicator's
honey is sold or not. Still we’ve got more than a few untrained people
experimenting with things like oxalic acid (and other preparations) here in
this country. As a matter of fact, one poster a while back  mentioned that
it wasn’t legal to use in the U.S. and then went on to write that he used
it on his bees. Is that going to help in the approval process?  My response
pointing out  the apparent discrepancy did not make it to the list; the
reply, though to be truthful, was worded as a wisecrack.  For the record I,
too, would like to see oxalic acid approved, but with certified training
required of the applicators.

Anyway, my original post was aimed at newer beekeepers on the list to point
out a good little reference book that touches on the various treatments
that are out there. Many on the list have probably seen the publication.
Some of these treatments are not legal to use everywhere.

Regards,
Dick Allen

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
-- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and  other info ---
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::