Regarding the genetic engineering comments posed by Ed Beary on ENTOMO-L and BEE-L. You raised several different issues. Many honey bees die from some insecticides in the field and do not transport it back to the hive. This serves to keep the 'clean food' aspect of honey intact. Unfortunately, some insecticide does get back to the hive and can get into the wax and honey. Many colonies are probably contaminated with insecticides during the year and insecticides may appear in the honey. I am aware of no evidence that honey bees anywhere are becoming resistant to insecticides. Selection programs to increase the insecticide resistance of bees have consistently failed. Resistance to insecticides in insects, including the bee, can take several forms. The target of the insecticide can be altered to make it less sensitive to the chemical. The cuticle of the insect can be altered to reduce penetration of an insecticide. Finally, the enzymatic machinery of the insect can be altered to degrade the insecticide into nontoxic molecules. If honey bees acquire resistance by the first two mechanisms, then increased insecticide contamination of honey or wax may occur. However, if insecticide resistance is brought about by the third mechanism, then the honey will actually have LESS insecticide contamination. This will happen because the enzyme will actively degrade any insecticide collected. Genes such as these are being sought for transfer into the bee through genetic engineering. A recent article by myself presents the case for genetic engineering of bees more fully - American Bee Journal 131:188-189 Charles Milne Department of Entomology Program in Genetics and Cell Biology Washington State University Pullman, WA 99164-6432 (509) 335-2141 FAX (509) 335-1009 BITNET: MILNE@WSUVM1