Christina wrote:
"
Why are we thinking that treated corn (per se) is problematic
except (potentially) at planting time?  Bees don't use corn as far as I 
know.  "

Bees will gather and use the pollen from corn (Maize in the UK) . They 
will also sup the 'guttation fluid'; the drops of sappy liquid that 
appear on the leaves, which will contain any systemic treatments.

What happens next year?  There may be insect attracting weeds that will 
have neonics in their pollen and nectar.  There are also other 
creatures in the food chain that may be affected, earthworms for 
instance.  They live on decaying vegetable matter and turn it into more 
worms and more fertile soil; but birds etc eat them in quantity. A 
single worm may not contain much systemic poison but hundreds of worms 
eaten by birds and fed to their babies will add up.  Bees, of course, 
are a favourite food of many birds, from (in the UK) Blue Tits to 
Swallows and Swifts and so they will get a cumulative dose.

Chris

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