Jerry said, about the sodium cyanide scare: > Not being one to hide under the covers... > This action by a few beekeepers is totally unacceptable, > detrimental to the Florida Honey Producing Industry, and > shows a blatant disregard for labeled chemical use. Jerry's prior life as a mild-mannered employee at a large US bee supply company who shall remain nameless, combined with his current cape-wearing Florida State Apiarist regulatory and educational role gives him a unique perspective to educate his peers in just how widespread "blatant disregard for labeled chemical use" really is among beekeepers and those who sell and promote various toxic chemicals to beekeepers. While handling sodium cyanide certainly presents unique risks not commonly associated with beekeeping, let's just admit up front that it was very popular in the past as a wax-moth fumigant, that old habits die hard, and that there would not have been anywhere near as much hue and cry if not for the current focus on terrorism in the US. The newspaper articles cited in prior posts said: "It is not illegal to possess the chemical, which is largely used in the commercial chrome plating and mining businesses, but it is against the law to use it for an unregistered purpose." Hey! Just like liquid formic acid! Acute risks like chemical burns and incidents of inhalation are much more likely with a liquid than they would be with sodium cyanide powder, as one needs to get sodium cyanide powder wet to create any deadly gasses, and liquid formic acid is much easier to obtain than sodium cyanide. Well Jerry, here's your chance to avoid tragedy before it happens, and stop the blatant disregard for labeled chemical use and uncontrolled use of very hazardous unregistered chemicals in beekeeping. 1) Read the March 2004 Bee Culture article "The Status Of Formic Acid In The US", by Bill Ruzicka Note that the article advocates not only fraud, but also forgery and/or perjury as ways to violate the same exact law that prevents people from buying sodium cyanide for beekeeping use. 2) Note from his schedule: http://www.mitegone.com/forms/Agenda%20Dates%20and%20Location.pdf That he will be in your turf, and subject to Florida laws from Oct 15th - Nov 30th, and is apparently also scheduled to appear on Dec 2nd at the Escarosa Beekeepers Association meeting. 3) Do the right thing. Here's a few quotes from Bill's Bee Culture article: "Suppliers don't ask what customers are the acid for; however, if customers say they want it for bees, suppliers will not sell it to them." So the only way a beekeeper could use Ruzicka's device in the manner that he openly advertises, to kill mites, would require the beekeeper to lie. "Beekeepers must buy formic acid, then, declaring one of many legal uses - from bleaching concrete or tanning leather, to bleaching fabric, or cleansing food packing equipment in a brewery or dairy." So, while there are LEGAL uses for formic acid, beekeeping and killing mites are not among them. So just what part of the phrase "illegal use" is unclear? "Purchasers of formic acid have to sign and receive a declaration that they are an industrial user and they and their staff are trained in the safe handling and use of formic acid..." Beekeeping is clearly not an "industrial" activity in any sense of the word. Proper Haz-Mat training suitable for handling formic acid is expensive, and takes at least a week of classroom time. The simple term for signing any such document would be "fraud". Note that "MiteGone" should not be confused with the other Canadian formic product "Mite-Away". The "Mite-Away" folks are obeying US law, and will soon have their ethical approach rewarded with a full EPA Section 3 approval for their product. jim (A cow born 3 years ago in Canada and all her calves can be tracked down in a matter of weeks, yet illegal immigration remains a problem. The obvious solution is to give away free cows at the US border.) :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and other info --- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::