Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => DISEASE & PEST CONTROL => Topic started by: cundald on March 05, 2009, 06:39:13 pm
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I have checked the web and the forums but can not find the answer to this question.
Is boric acid dangerous to honeybees?
I am not looking for opinions but documented conformation.
cundald
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I'm not a researcher or scientist so the only documentation is a google search. I in no way endorsed any of these sites but here you go.
http://www.getridofthings.com/get-rid-of-bees.htm
http://livingwithbugs.blogspot.com/2007/01/borate-boric-acid-compounds-for-insect.html
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Yes,
Boric Acid acts as an insecticide to most insects.
From Wikipedia:
Boric acid was first registered in the US as an insecticide in 1948 for control of cockroaches, termites, fire ants, fleas, silverfish, and many other insects.[6] It acts as a stomach poison affecting the insects' metabolism, and the dry powder is abrasive to the insects' exoskeleton.
Bees have exoskeletons.
From the EPA (http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/REDs/factsheets/0024fact.pdf):
Boric acid was first registered as a pesticide in the U.S. in 1948.
Currently, 189 pesticide products are registered which contain boric acid or
one of its sodium salts as an active ingredient.
I doubt you will find a specific study on honeybees and boric acid as there probably has not been one done. What has been shown is Boric Acid is effective against insects with exoskeletons. Honeybees fall into that category. So do roaches and small hive beetles. So should sprinkle your hive with Boric Acid? No. You can create traps for SHB in your hives with Boric Acid as long as the bees can't get into the trap but he SHB can. You also don't want the Boric Acid to spill out of the traps.
I hope this helps.
Sincerely,
Brendhan
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wow we use that stuff in the house........ but no more now!
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wow we use that stuff in the house........ but no more now!
There is a difference between using it in your house and in a hive. Boric Acid against roaches is the best product out there.
On humans who don't have exoskeletons, it is harmless. So in the house is great. In the hive not so much.
Sincerely,
Brendhan
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we graywater and I don't want my girls playing in that stuff to be on the safe side....... my cats take care of the inside house
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Boric acid works by ingestion. A human would have to literally eat pounds of the stuff to be affected. As for as pesticides go, boric acid is one of the safest there is to use in your household.
Don, aka Fatbeeman uses it in conjunction with Crisco in corrugated cardboard and places it in the hive for shb control. It is mixed with Crisco to make a paste that they eat.
BTW boric acid is an ingredient in eye drops.
...JP
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I use it in my cosmetics. It acts as an emulsifier binding the oils and liquids together. It is all natural stuff.
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I use it in my cosmetics. It acts as an emulsifier binding the oils and liquids together. It is all natural stuff.
Now we know why you have such a glowing smile :lol:
Mick
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I notice that the 'get rid of stuff' guy makes no mention of calling a beekeeper...oh well.
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I notice that the 'get rid of stuff' guy makes no mention of calling a beekeeper...oh well.
Which guy?
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Which guy?
I'm not a researcher or scientist so the only documentation is a google search. I in no way endorsed any of these sites but here you go.
http://www.getridofthings.com/get-rid-of-bees.htm ...
...that guy
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I use it in my cosmetics. It acts as an emulsifier binding the oils and liquids together. It is all natural stuff.
Now we know why you have such a glowing smile :lol:
Mick
That is very sweet of you Mick.
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>I notice that the 'get rid of stuff' guy makes no mention of calling a beekeeper...oh well.
>Stop! Before you do anything about removing bees or removing bee nests, you should first attempt to contact a local beekeeper. There is a good chance they will get rid of your bees for free. Why? Because in the last few years wild honey bee populations have dwindled down to almost 3% of their estimated original population. Before resorting to bee killer, steps should be taken to remove the bees peacefully, without chemicals. Ask around your local co-op; someone is bound to know a beekeeper.
On the get rid of stuff guy page above!!!
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Which guy?
I'm not a researcher or scientist so the only documentation is a google search. I in no way endorsed any of these sites but here you go.
http://www.getridofthings.com/get-rid-of-bees.htm ...
...that guy
OOOOOOOOHH that guy got it. you are right.
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>I notice that the 'get rid of stuff' guy makes no mention of calling a beekeeper...oh well.
>Stop! Before you do anything about removing bees or removing bee nests, you should first attempt to contact a local beekeeper. There is a good chance they will get rid of your bees for free. Why? Because in the last few years wild honey bee populations have dwindled down to almost 3% of their estimated original population. Before resorting to bee killer, steps should be taken to remove the bees peacefully, without chemicals. Ask around your local co-op; someone is bound to know a beekeeper.
On the get rid of stuff guy page above!!!
^^^ this is what i get for skimming and not reading when I see red over a raid can for honeybees.
egg is not an unfamiliar feeling on my face - I hear it's good for the complexion though.
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>egg is not an unfamiliar feeling on my face
Been there done that more times than I can count :-D!
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Boric acid is a main ingredient in silly putty.
Boric acid is "relataively non-toxic" to bees according to a gov pub, search "Reregistration eligibility decision Boric acid and its salts.
Boric acid and borax are not the same chemical.
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Boric acid is also the best way to control flees in carpets. It is called Flee Stop and all is is boric acid in a very fine powder form. Works great, better than having the house sprayed once a month. Put it in your carpets, use a broom to get it deep down where the flees lay there eggs and it lasts for several years. Just remember to redo it when you replace a rug.
Jim
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I have checked the web and the forums but can not find the answer to this question.
Is boric acid dangerous to honeybees?
I am not looking for opinions but documented conformation.
cundald
Okay, the original poster asked for documentation.
Here you go.
http://www.culturaapicola.com.ar/apuntes/sanidad/40_manejo_destruccion_colmenas.pdf (http://www.culturaapicola.com.ar/apuntes/sanidad/40_manejo_destruccion_colmenas.pdf)
In this study a concentration of 5% boric acid in a honey bait station was found to be toxic to bees.
Since boric acid was not the main item in this study it does not get the full attention but it does show that boric acid is toxic to bees. In this case it deals with the ingestion of boric acid and not the application for external exposure.
So lets make this clear. Boric Acid kills bees.
Sincerely,
Brendhan
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Paracelsus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paracelsus), sometimes called the father of toxicology, wrote:
German: Alle Ding' sind Gift, und nichts ohn' Gift; allein die Dosis macht, daß ein Ding kein Gift ist.
"All things are poison, and nothing is without poison; only the dose permits something not to be poisonous."
Or, more commonly
"The dose makes the poison."
That is to say, substances considered toxic are harmless in small doses, and conversely an ordinarily harmless substance can be deadly if over-consumed.
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Yes, boric acid can kill just about anything in the right dosage. It works by ingestion. It works great at eliminating various household ants. The key is to use a small amount with something like apple juice or even peanut butter depending on the ants preference. If you use just a bit of boric acid in your mix you achieve a transference effect and get colony elimination. Too much active ingredient you kill a good many but you don't eliminate the colony.
I could see it being quite lethal on a honey bee colony, particularly if used in honey during a dearth.
...JP
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The one thing I found really surprising was that they were using 5% concentration levels in the study. When you buy boric acid off the shelf you can get boric acid that is 99% boric acid 1% inert. The point being is that I don't think everyone realizes that just a low level of boric acid is dangerous.
Sincerely,
Brendhan
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Not trying to disagree with anyone, but from my experience as a businessman selling and installing cellulose insulation, the boric acid keeps the insects out as even before ingestion it is abrasive and draws out moisture. After a day of working without gloves my hands got so dry they would crack and bleed. Never, ever did I find bugs of any type in attics with cellulose insulation. Why is it in the insulation? Actually for fire retardant characteristics....for what that is worth.
I do agree it is not good for bees, but I think more in contact with it over eating it, as bugs just don't like it, not even spiders. They stay away from it....Smell????