Bob quotes David Hackenberg:
"it seems beekeepers keeping bees in areas  of crop production are seeing 
the most problems with their bees"

A  true statement without a doubt! 

I'm sorry, but this just isn't true at the national level - although it may  
be true in a region or for specific crops.
 
1) The frenzy over pesticides whipped up by some beekeepers and researchers  
alike just doesn't hold up with respect to overall bee losses.  In all of  the 
presentations to date, there are reports of higher -than-expected levels of  
miticides plus a variety of agricultural chemicals, but NO CONSISTENT  PATTERN 
in terms of either the levels or the types of chemicals identified (as  
verified by Jeff Pettis in the most recent USDA ARS Ag Res Bulletin).
 
Most common finding - and our own data in a preliminary report to the  NHB 
supports this - chemicals beekeepers throw in hives to control mites  have left 
residues inside hives.  And, our surveys show that beekeepers are  using a far 
wider array of home brew chemicals than we ever suspected.
 
2) Our surveys of beekeepers indicate that on a national level, beekeepers  
attribute losses of bees to pesticides in about 5% of all cases.
 
3) Because of statements about pesticides by a variety of people, some  large 
western  beekeepers chose to pull their bees away from crops, out in  the 
deserts.  Didn't help.
 
4) Organic beekeepers in SW and W sustained CCD-like losses this past  
fall/winter/spring.
 
Also, in terms of reports from Europe - remember, national politics enter  
into the picture.  In countries like Germany, there are Green Parties  whose 
platform has a STRONG environmental slant.  Pesticides issues win  votes.  
 
None of this means that I'm pro-pesticides.  I've been very vocal  about need 
to update the assays used in the label registration process - LD50 is  a hold 
over from the 1960s when that was the only practical metric to  measure.  I 
also don't like the privatization of label registration  testing.  Unlike the 
days of Atkins, Johansen, and Mayer - when  universities provided a 3rd party 
assessment, the companies now contract firms  whose business is to make money 
testing, and whose results are  proprietary.  When was the last time you saw an 
update to the pamphlets  listing comparative toxicity of pesticides.  Access 
to test data results  has to be by Freedom of Information AND you have to know 
the exact formulation  when you make the request.
 
We need an overhaul of the test assays, reviews of test procedures that  
because of cost cutting now consist of trials on as few as ONE colony of bees,  
and naive short cuts.  The private firms argue - let's use emerging  bees from 
brood comb rather than a mix of adult ages - its easier and MORE  consistent.  
Yes, and its also tests immature bees, not the foragers that  make first 
contact in the field.  Let's do all of the test on subsamples of  bees from the 
same colony - saves money, makes for a more consistent test.   Yes, and you've 
now got an unreplicated trial, simply looking at subfamilies  within same 
colony.  Who knows whether that colony represents the norm, is  resistant, or 
susceptible to the chemical.  We can't publish results, they  are proprietary.  
Which begs the question, why are they testing in the  first place?  Its to protect 
bees.  Part of that PROTECTION is letting  everyone know the results so 
beekeepers and growers can make informed decisions  about the products available to 
them.
 
I do believe that when Gene Brandi says he has problems with the bees  on 
watermelons that there may be a problem with the chemicals being used on  
watermelon.  I can believe that the Dave's in Florida may have problems  with bees on 
orchards where specific chemicals are used (or MISUSED).   We've consulted 
with beekeepers on many pesticide kill issues over the years,  and reports in 
recent years are just as frequent as they were in the 60s - but  we got in the 
mode of blaming varroa mite for all losses.  Maybe CCD has  broken us of that 
habit.   
 
We used to have an EPA lab that would receive and analyze bees from  
operations with suspected pesticide kills.  There was also an indemnity  program to 
compensate beekeepers for proven pesticide loss.  That's ancient  history.  But, 
its something that the industry should ask to be re-instated  - why isn't EPA 
testing bees for beekeepers?
 
Jerry
 





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