Note to all, I feel that it is really important that we understand any long-term or cumulative effects of chemical exposure (such as the clear adverse effects of exposure to heavy metals), and for the purposes of this thread, those of neonicotinoids specifically. Christina, when I ask you for supportive evidence for the hypothesis, the reason is that I'm assuming that you are promoting that hypothesis due to already having evidence at hand (such as published studies or your own research). I don't want you to take that request as an adversarial challenge to "prove" anything. I'm not here to win an argument--I'm interested better understanding what has been discovered, or exactly what kind of research needs to be done to answer that question. I appreciate having you in this discussion due to your expertise in neurology. We also have a few other posters to the list with expertise in toxicology, chemistry, and pharmacology. And this is why I invited Dr. Tennekes to join the discussion. I've been following the "cumulative effects hypothesis" since he proposed it, and have previously corresponded at length with another of his coauthors (Henk, I'm cc'ing you again, but please subscribe to the List to join this discussion from this point on). So why don't we carefully review the scientific (as well as on-the-ground) evidence to date as to the long-term effects of the strong binding affinity of neonics on either individual honey bees, honey bee colonies, or other organisms? But let's not waste the List's time. I suggest that we cite actual data--not papers in which someone is citing someone else's opinion. -- Randy Oliver Grass Valley, CA www.ScientificBeekeeping.com *********************************************** The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html