I was surprised to read that members of this list were suggesting things like: > ...But don't volunteer any information. and > The first option is not to bother to call back. > It sounds like a fishing expedition... I must strongly disagree with both suggestions, as they advice a posture that is less than 100% open and honest, and are hence the postures of defeat. Let's assume a "worst-case scenario", where either civil or criminal penalties are possible. Is "keeping quiet" going to help matters? Is ignoring them? Either of those approaches will only make you appear to be a deliberate and willful "violator" of whatever law/regulation/rule they want to "enforce". Either of those approaches might turn what otherwise would be excused as "error or omission" into "criminal intent". Instead, imagine an honest and frank discussion. The state reps are honor-bound to report that you were "fully cooperative" with their investigation or inquiry, which may carry more weight than any action(s) that might be a technical "error". Recall stories about pesticide misuse that resulted in Bee kills in your state. Was the state a fierce enforcer of "the label law"? More likely they were a toothless apologist for the miss-deeds of the pesticide user, more concerned with agonizing over their lack of staff and funding for "better education" than with taking the time to levy fines or sue anyone. That said, there is nothing wrong with taking a pro-active, or even aggressive approach in any/all dealings with any government agency. An advocate would be an excellent asset, and your local State Inspector, being a fellow state employee to your callers, is an excellent choice. There is nothing wrong with waiting for your State Inspector to find out "what's up", before you respond to the inquiry, but to be anything less than completely candid would be stupid. I presume that Kansas had a Section 18 for Checkmite, and I presume that you read and followed the instructions. If so, you have NOTHING to fear from the same state government that applied for and got the Section 18 approval in the first place. If you did not properly dispose of the strips, the damage is likely already done, but I would guess that the state's primary concerns would not be "disposal", but would instead be: a) Did you get the instructions for storage and handling? b) Did you follow those instructions, or do you have some CheckMite in a kitchen drawer? Checkmite is a very nasty organophosphate that I would not allow within grenade-launcher range of my farm. The rest of agriculture has wised up about organophosphates, and are phasing OUT their use. Beekeepers, on the other hand seem to be mostly unaware of just how nasty this stuff can be. The only rational concern would be the "risk of human contact", which would be a concern about your health and safety. From the questions asked, it sounds to me like the state of Kansas may be more concerned about verifying that vendors are sending the correct "Section 18 Label" with shipments to Kansas than with anything else. But don't ignore them, 'cause they will not "go away", and don't try to keep things from them, 'cause most people are terrible liars, and don't even know it. (I clean up at cards on a regular basis with otherwise intelligent and sophisticated people who have no idea how easy they are to "read".) Don't try to play games with bureaucrats - they play little "waiting games" and games of half-truths for a living, and by comparison, the average citizen is a rank amateur. jim farmageddon