Hi Jerry > its a bit of a stretch to attribute all of this losses to these > new chemicals -- I agree with you. After reading some of the French literature, then discovering that our main crop source of nectar in the UK, oilseed rape (=canola), was now largely grown from imidacloprid-dressed seed, I feared that we would see the same problems in the UK. It doesn't seem to have happened. Just to be clear - 'cos I don't think that I was earlier - it appears that Yves Le Conte does not believe that imidacloprid stands out as the main factor in the French problem. Rather, the cause was more complex and involved several factors acting togther. You've already hinted that it may be the same for you. Good luck with your effort. Gavin. Subscribers are encouraged to search the asrchives ofter at: http://listserv.albany.edu:8080/cgi-bin/wa?S1=bee-l