> Hi All; I have read that Kaolin clay will not affect honey bees if it is
> used in the garden/orchard (for pest control). Does anyone know of any
> studies that have been done that backup or dispute this?
>

None to dispute it but...

The problem with organic and natural pesticides is they can cause problems
but, until recently, there have been few studies of their effect.

Bee Culture published this-

 http://www.beeculture
.com/catch-the-buzz-organic-pesticides-still-kill-bees/

and the Xerces society this-

http://www.xerces.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/xerces
-organic-approved-pesticides-factsheet.pdf

 which seems to be a bit out of date compared to the Bee Culture info as BC
looked at both bees and larva.

A study on Kaolin clay-

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/IPMPROJECT/2012/kaolin-clay_2012.html

exonerates it. It is all in the way any pesticide operates, application
methods and when it is applies that counts. The clay acts a a barrier, so
is basically inert as far as the bee is concerned. Only issue I would have
is if it enters the hive as a pollen substitute, but that would be no
different than a lot of stuff bees bring in as "pollen".

If you want a little fun and perspective on the subject-

http://risk-monger.blogactiv.eu
/2015/06/17/save-the-bees-ban-these-two-toxic-pesticides-immediately/

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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