Hi all
I started this thread with a post that suggested "there is at least some hope that the insecticides which show the least toxicity to bees will be preferred on many farms." I have an immense respect for farmers and growers who use _no_ pesticides. What beekeeper wouldn't? 

To me, the key issue is the dialogue that is required between beekeepers and agriculture. Obviously, if the farmer has total respect for bees and uses no harmful substances, that's not a problem. Equally, if the grower sprays in open violation of label, law, and common sense, that is a huge problem. 

What got me started on this is another permutation: where the beekeepers seek a world that revolves around their demand for a pesticide-free environment in which to pursue their chosen career. I think this is unrealistic: beekeepers are not a privileged class any more than golfers are (an oblique reference to cosmetic use of pesticides).

But I have talked with people in the industry who see modern insecticides and GMOs as a route to reduce insecticide use and create less harm to the environment. After all is said and done, farmers have only X amount of money to invest on crop control measures. If X is too high, they cannot make a profit, so they try to reduce that amount until damage and loss starts to eat into the profit from the other end. 

Again, as a beekeeper, I support pesticide free agriculture and want it to prosper and expand. But I don't think that an adversarial approach to that goal will actually achieve the end envisioned by proselytizers. And, as has been stated plainly here and elsewhere, many of the organizations who champion these causes are essentially using them as magnets for money to fund their organizations and their pet projects. 

PLB

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