Well, it's illegal comes to mind, first and foremost.
Can you show on instance that anyone was prosecuted for using it?Well, it's illegal comes to mind, first and foremost.
Per the EPA, OA is no longer registered as a pesticide. The company or companies that originally registered it as such let the registration expire. So OA right now is just OA. Using it as a mite control is an "off label" use of the product regardless that it works and is used successfully almost worldwide.So the use of OA as a pesticide. Is it in fact illegal to use it on your bees in a manner that will only treat your bees?
Aliano, N. (2008). An investigation of techniques for using oxalic acid to reduce Varroa mite populations in honey bee colonies and package bees.A review article by Rademacher and Harz (2006) summarizes over 50 references related to the use of OA in European countries. Their review article covers the efficacy of OA against Varroa and honey bee tolerance for the trickling, spraying, and evaporating application methods. The trickle and spray methods of OA application were employed in my dissertation research. I chose to exclude the evaporation method due to inherent hazards to the applicator. When OA sublimates, both OA and formic acid fumes are liberated and can permanently damage lung tissues if inhaled. Furthermore, the European literature regarding OA efficacy indicates that the trickle, spray, and evaporation methods of application are equally effective against Varroa mites.
It's my understanding that oxalic is used during broodless periods since it cannot kill mites inside the brood cells. What evidence do you have of brood damage using either method?That's probably true in a broodless hive, but the trickle method does damage brood, OA vaporization does not.
Per Randy Oliver:What evidence do you have of brood damage using either method?