In a message dated 6/26/00 8:39:32 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

> I
>  personally am convinced by the arguments of those who maintain that much
the
>  same "natural cleansing mechanism" exists for pollen as for honey.  In
other
>  words, if contaminated pollen is collected the hive will perish before the
>  contamination reaches a level dangerous to humans.

    This depends on the level of processing, Lloyd.  I personally know of a
beekeeper who nearly killed himself with contaminated pollen collected from
his own pollen traps. He used a lot larger quantity of this than most folks
ever would, because, as he began to feel sick, he increased his consumption
of pollen.  By the time the reason for his illness was identified, he was in
the hospital, in very serious condition.
This pollen had no processing, as it was simply caught in the pollen trap. I
am in a high pesticide use area (cotton, tobacco, veggies, mosquitoes) and I
have been reluctant to sell pollen because of the liability situation.

   Another example is that of using frames with pollen from winter deadouts,
and seeing vigorous young queens immediately take on a spotty brood pattern.
This is why I have asserted that more of our winter losses are pesticide
related than most of us realize. Bees can cover contaminated pollen with
uncontaminated, only to uncover it in winter, when they are much more
vulnerable.  I wish that lab testing for pesticides weren't so darned
expensive, and I would work on identifying this myself.

   Like you, Lloyd, I am not worried about the minute quantities of pollen
that get into raw honey. Honey is tested frequently enough to show this up,
if it is a problem.

   Pesticide contamination does not have to be at the level of the death of
the entire hive to be of concern for us.  My original reference was to that
of individual bees who die from internal poisoning from the contamination of
nectar, thus that contamination is not contributed to the total production of
honey.  I can't see where you have proposed any mechanism for pollen that
would be in the same order of magnitude.

    Depending on the mechanism of the particular pesticide, loss of field
force or loss of brood/young bees is far more common than outright pesticide
kills of bees. Sometimes there is little visible evidence of pesticide
poisoning, except that the bees get savage, as with Sevin.

    Having worked with orchards in the past I've done a lot of spraying in my
time. Pesticides are very pervasive. Many times I've been in full gear, (suit
and mask) and still the bitter taste appears in my mouth, letting me know
that the pesticide is getting into my body somehow.  The question, like with
the bees, is at what level does this become an important concern for us?  And
I can't answer that question with much precision.

Dave Green
The Pollination Home Page:  http://pollinator.com