It's Mite Treatment Time: The whole regulatory process with its scientific fagade for approving pesticides is a farce and a sham

摘要

Late August and early September is the time when many beekeepers in the Northeast treat for Varroa mites in order to get hives in healthy shape for the long winter to come. This year there is a new Varroa treatment option available: Apivar. This miticide comes in the form of a plastic strip that contains the active ingredient Amitraz. While this toxic chemical can leave residues in wax and honey, the residues are not expected to reach what is considered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to be dangerous threshold level as long as the strips are used according to directions. It is an unfortunate fact however, that all too often treatments are not used according to label instructions despite the label being the law. Now beekeepers who illegally use Taktic (active ingredient Amitraz but only approved for cattle, sheep and pigs) will have a cover story and can blame Apivar when Amitraz, or its breakdown products, are found contaminating their honey, beeswax, and other hive products. Given the history of Varroa resistance to the chemical treatments we have formulated so far, and the fact that Amitraz resistance is believed to have occurred in the past, it is reasonable to expect reports of Varroa resistance to Apivar strips sometime within the next four or five years, if not sooner.