Bob said:

> I have spoke with people from Bayer on many occasions. Manly when Bayer
> registered Checkmite.

Ummm, sorry Bob, but Bayer has never "registered" CheckMite.  It remains
a year-by-year "Section 18 Emergency Treatment", as it has been for years.
I doubt if Bayer would be able to obtain a full registration for CheckMite,
as the EPA, even under the current administration, has maintained the very
reasonable goal of eliminating organophosphate use in agriculture as a whole.

Aaron asked:

> "How would one know if/when imidacloprid is being used within the foraging
> area of their hives?".  Is this public information or would one have to
> inquire of the farmers what they are using?

It certainly would not be public information.  We had a hard time in our
county just getting everyone to both own up to having some explosives
"left over" from various projects, and to agree to store their explosives
in an easier-to-secure centralized bunker.  A melding between safety deposit
boxes, a public library, cigar-store humidors, and a police impound lot.
(Homeland security begins at home, ya know.)

> And even if I were to quickly jump to a pesticide poisoning conclusion,
> how would I begin to find the source?  Where would I begin?  Farm Bureau?
> Department of Soil Conservation?  Cornell CoOperative Extension?

Forget the first two, they are sure to not have the proper equipment.
Cornell should have both the hardware and skills.  The Federal Bee Labs
might be another option.

Toxicology on bee kills is complicated, expensive, and often not enough
of a "smoking gun" to get action in any venue.  I'm sure that there are
lots of beekeepers with a file folder full of lab results documenting
a yard of dead hives wondering why they bothered to gather the samples.
Those who watch TV know of the show "CSI" [Crime Scene Investigation],
"CSI Miami", and more recently, "CSI New York". (Perhaps "CSI" actually
stands for "Cloned Series Idea.")  What we beekeepers lack are standards
for gathering of samples, and proper protocols for handling samples that
would meet the minimum requirements for evidence to be introduced in court.

Bottom line, lots of hives have to die before anyone will consider any
specific problem "serious".  If the hive losses were cows, they'd call
out the national guard to vaccinate herds.

In fact, if a dairy farmer or cattle rancher loses a SINGLE cow or steer,
it is a police matter the moment that any evidence of human intervention
is found.  Never mind that a single beehive can generate more revenue for
a beekeeper in a year than a steer can for a cattle rancher, and is
therefore "more valuable", you will never get any official attention to
anything other than overt theft or vandalism to a yard.  Imagine the
conversation:

  Me: "Hi, I've lost 50 hives, and I'd like you to investigate."

  Sheriff: "What did they look like?"

  Me: "When I said 'lost', I meant they died, apparently of pesticide
poisoning."

  Sheriff: "You want us to find out who killed your BEES?"

  Me: "Yes, thank you - I would."

  Sheriff: "Have you been out in the sun too much, Jim?"


They buy the honey, but they still don't give a hoot about "bugs".


        jim (You haven't lived until you've been stung 40 times
           in 2 minutes, and afterwards, you don't want to.)

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