Interesting that what appears to be a simple case of an applicator error - accidentally spraying 55 asphalt parking lot Linden trees when they were in bloom - leads the Xerces Society and a University of Minnesota professor to "call on local officials to ban the cosmetic use of insecticides on city- and county-owned lands" http://www.xerces.org/2013/06/27/scientists-call-for-an-end-to-cosmetic-insecticide-use-after-the-largest-bumble-bee-poisoning-on-record/ Justification? "The cost of losing pollinators far outweighs any value of controlling aphids on ornamental plants,” said Mace Vaughan, Pollinator Conservation Director at the Xerces Society... But the neonic in question has a multi-year track record of bee safety in another city in the region according to this L.A. Times article: http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-oregon-pesticides-restricted-20130626,0,3014501.story Likewise, Valent USA, the manufacturer of the neonic does not think the 6 month ban is necessary and justified given the information available: http://www.valent.com/newsroom/newsreleasesbyyear/2013/valent-issues-statement-on-oregon-bee-incident.cfm Excerpt: We do not believe the scope of these measures is necessary with the information available, and we will work to get the restrictions lifted as soon as possible. Paul Cherubini El Dorado, Calif. *********************************************** 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