# General beekeeping > Bee health >  Canadian clampdown

## gavin

Thanks to Peter Borst on Bee-L for this.  

*Two Alberta honey producers fined for unregistered pest control*

Two Alberta honey producers have been handed hefty fines for using unregistered pest control products in their beehives.
This  week Health Canadas Pest Management Regulatory Agency announced it had  fined Russell Severson of Camrose, Alberta, $31,200 for using an  unapproved amitraz-based insecticide, and Miedema Honey Farm Inc. of  Barrhead, Alberta, $8,000 for using an unapproved thymol-based  treatment.

While both amitraz and thymol can be used in Canada  for treating mite infestations in beehives under the labels Apivar and  Thymovar, PMRA only allows products that have been federally registered.  In recent months PMRA has been on a campaign warning beekeepers that  they cannot use treatments that have been bought in the U.S. and which  do not have labels showing Canadian registration. They also have banned  the use of home-made concoctions that involve active ingredients  purchased outside of Canada.

In March at the B.C. Honey  Producers Associations semi-annual meeting the PMRA gave a strongly  warning that it is watching how beekeepers use acaricides and  insecticides. The speaker made it clear that a PMRA inspector can, at  will, go into beekeepers yards and open their hives to determine if you  are complying with the regulations. 

She repeated a number of  times that beekeepers cannot bring into Canada treatments from the U.S.,  even if the basic chemicals in those treatments are already approved  for use here. She specifically singled out Api Life Var, a U.S.-approved  treatment that uses thymol as a base ingredient.

In March Health  Canadas Pesticide Compliance Program issued six notices of violation  to Severson for using an unregistered pest control product containing  the active ingredient amitraz. Each violation involved a $5,200 penalty  under Canadas Administrative Monetary Penalties Act.

In the  case of Miedema Honey Farm, Health Canada levied the fine not only for  using an unregistered amitrazl-based product, but also for the  importation of an unregistered pest control product containing thymol.

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