Randy Oliver wrote:

"Do you notice that your over the counter medications are not tested on
heroin addicts, those suffering from AIDS, or those recently exposed to
pesticides or infested with crab lice?   The registrant can't realistically
be expected to test their product to specifically account for beekeepers
who have contaminated their combs with often illegal miticides.  I'm no
booster for pesticides, but we must be realistic!"

Hi Randy,

I am all for being realistic but...

In your article A New Large-Scale Trial of Clothianidin
http://scientificbeekeeping.com/a-new-large-scale-trial-of-clothianidin/

you wrote, “The scientists went to great effort to locate ten widely separated 2 hectare (5 acre) plots in which to plant canola, with the added requirements that no other canola, and little competing forage, would be growing within normal flight range (10 km) (Brett and I confirmed that the test plots appeared to be surrounded largely by forest or agricultural land without competing forage).”

Although the results of this study have not been published yet we do have headlines like:

"Ontario field study finds no link between seed treatments, bee deaths."
 
http://www.producer.com/daily/ontario-field-study-finds-no-link-between-seed-treatments-bee-deaths/

I found the ten minute talk about propolis by James Fearnely (link provided by Juanse) very interesting. Fearnely discussed research that found propolis collected by bees in areas of the world inhabited by the protozoa that causes sleeping sickness - contains a chemical which is active against sleeping sickness. He goes on to say he believes propolis provides bees with the therapeutic benefits of the environment they live in - and given the sleeping sickness example, those benefits can be pretty amazing.


I understand the desire to only have one variable in an experiment to examine what effect that variable has on the subject. But it appears to a layman like me that the "Trial of Clothianidin" experiment mentioned above, surrounded the bees with an abundance of propolis producing plants, thus boosting their immune systems. And it went out of it’s way to remove all other pests and pathogens. That is not anywhere near the 'realistic' conditions a commercial beehive experiences today. To me, this experiment sounds a lot like placing one straw at a time on a camel’s back in an attempt to find that one straw that will break it, while the camel contentedly chews his cud.

Thinking we need a few more straws in the mix,

Ted 

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