Hi Bob

No need to apologise.  Please keep posting when you can.

You have spoken of problems with row crops and I just thought that I'd post something that backs up your statements from real-life commercial beekeeping.  This presentation was sent to me this morning.  It comes from the EPA itself and records imidacloprid in pumpkins after treatment via transplant treatment and chemigation.  Nectar after combined treatment (transplant dip and chemigation) was about 10 ppb and pollen had a massive 80 ppb (100 ppb when you include metabolites).  If such practices continue (this was two years ago) there would be no way I'd take my bees to such crops.  Very pleased that we don't apply insecticides that way in the UK.

http://www.flworkshop.com/2010documents/10Presentations/30-Kamel,%20Alaa.pdf

That Purdue University presentation posted earlier shows clearly that if you keep your bees near a corn/maize farmer who does not control planter dust then your bees could be in trouble.  Don't know why the lessons from Europe were not learned.  And even the levels in pollen (up to 28 ppb) sound dangerous, assuming that their methods are not regarded as contentious. 


All this backs up the comments you have made about beekeeping in corn areas and where chemigation occurs, Bob.  OK, many are not seeing such problems, but perhaps this is due to local practices at planting time or the availability of clean forage in the area.  Yes, the study Peter posted earlier is a convincing demonstration that, in Belgium, an extensive field study suggested no problem.  But practices in at least some parts of the US will be different and the reports in the video posted earlier together with the analyses of affected bees and colonies make that plain.


The criticism on here lately of junk science is very justified, but we shouldn't forget that there may be real problems out there. 


best wishes

Gavin

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