Looks like we had posts that crossed in the mail (I'm posting during a
layover at an airport).

>“Imidacloprid is a systemic insecticide with contact and stomach action.
It acts on the central nervous system causing irreversible blocking of
postsynaptic nicotinergic acetylcholine receptors.” (page 111).

This is a curious citation to choose.  As i understand it, IMI does NOT
block receptors--instead it opens the sodium gate.  It is therefore an
agonist, not an antagonist.  (For the benefit of non neurologists, see
http://www.differencebetween.net/science/difference-between-agonist-and-antagonist/
)

So I don't understand why you would cite an author who didn't even
understand the mode of action.

The other point in these citations so far is that as far as I understand
it, is that the toxicity of those metabolites that are "more toxic" than
the parent compound does not exceed that of the original dose of the parent
compound--please correct me if I have it wrong.

Thank you Christina for the explanation about degradation in the neurons.
Are you saying that the ligand must leave the brain by diffusion in order
to be metabolized by the bee?

-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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