I checked the registration of Regent in the US and it may have been tried
on several other crops, but right now potatoes is the only registered crop.
Corn was pulled in November 2009 but farmers are allowed to continue its
use until stores are depleted. So it may still be around in corn fields.
It is not in use on cucumbers in the US, as far as I know, even though it
was suggested for use. But it is used on golf courses and ant and termite
control.
It is really hard to find out just where it is used. There have been
section 18s for cotton, turnips and not sure if elsewhere. But it was used
in France on sunflowers per the IPM paper. One interesting reason is the
multiplicity of trade names and it shape shifts from country to country or
even in the same country. So you can ban Regent in the US but it is still
in use in another country under a different name or in the US under another
name. One common comment in every case is it is extremely harmful to bees.
One argument by BASF, who manufactures Regent, is that it is in the soil so
does not come in contact with bees....but
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16819916
is a study that shows corn and sunflowers do uptake fipronil (Regent) and
is harmful to honeybees. But it depends on the seed application.
But a study in Spain showed no harm to bees-
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ps.2188/abstract
It blames Varroa and nosema.
Another problem is application method. It is injected in the soil, sprayed
and encapsulated, so that makes it hard to pin down. Plus there are
different seed coatings.
Truth is, even fipronil is not the cause of CCD (it has been labeled such
by some), because it is just not that wide spread. If you are in an area
where it is used on corn or sunflowers, then you are not the subject of CCD
but a pesticide kill. Not much consolation, but true.
This whole thread started with the IPM paper which stated quite clearly
that fipronil (Regent) was the probable cause of bee kills on sunflowers in
France. I believe that to be true as do others, including some French
beekeepers.
I also think that it easily could be the bad boy in corn, especially since
it would mirror the French experience. But that is about it. From there it
would take a long leap to tie it to the losses in the US. For that we need
look no further than Varroa, virus, nosema and beekeepers.
I am cooling off and the days are getting warmer. Crocus are up, poplar are
tasseling, but the important nectar source, Maples, are still a while away.
I look to some beginners to still lose colonies to starvation as Maine
weather is unpredictable and if you do not have candy on, they can starve.
All is well after Maples.
Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine
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