> Although there is
> an expressed concern by many beekeepers around the world
> about the use of systemics, the experience in Canada is that
> we have had 10 years of large scale use on canola with no
> observed ill effect.> Pollinating Hybrid Canola-the Southern Alberta 
> Heather Clay, Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Honey
> Council, Calgary, AB 
> Originally presented to NSW Apiarist Association, State
> Conference, July 10, 2009.
> 

Pete, this caught my attention when you posted it awhile back. Not only does the Alberta experience cast doubt on the “neonics are what’s killing the bees” claim, but the 10-year time frame (1999-2009) gives the lie to the oft-repeated chorus that the appearance of CCD coincided with that of the neonics. 

The Center for Food Safety, for example, in its 2012 “citizen petition” to the EPA, states: “Research indicates that honey bee colonies are in decline recently and it appears to correlate with registration of clothianidin and the neonicotinoid pesticides.” This claim is stated or implied in virtually every news story on the alleged link between neonics and declining bee populations.

Still, the quote from the Canadian Honey Council is four years old, and that is why I wondered if Bob or anyone else had heard differing reports more recently. 

Eugene Makovec
Missouri USA

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